Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago has not been on the UNHRC. But it’s performance as a recipient of UPR comments has been less than exemplary despite its relatively high score in the Freedom House ratings. The government has been largely resistant in taking and responding to recommendations concerning the serious issues of forced disappearances and respect for international human rights instruments.  

It has done worse on maters of hemispheric norms to defend democracy, abstaining on both the OAS Permanent Council vote to hear Secretary General Luis Almagro’s report on the situation in Venezuela and abstaining again in the OAS General Assembly vote condemning Venezuelan president Maduro’s unconstitutional constituent assembly elections. In both cases, given the tightness of the vote, Trinidad and Tobago’s abstention enabled the rogue Maduro government to avoid regional scrutiny and potential sanctions for its actions that clearly violated the OAS’s Inter-American Democratic Charter.  

Below is a breakdown of Trinidad and Tobago’s actions and votes at the various venues we are monitoring. For more information click on each title and summary.

Scoreboard:

United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC or Council)

Trinidad and Tobago has never been on the UNHRC.

UNHRC’s Universal Periodic Review

As part of its mandate to promote human rights around the globe, the UNHRC has instituted a Universal Periodic Review, where, once every four years, each country’s human rights record is examined. Other countries are invited to review the record and make comments and suggestions for improvement. The country under review then acknowledges each comment by either “accepting” the comment, meaning typically that they agree to focus on, or “noting” it, indicating that they disagree and will not be focusing on improvements in this area.

UN NGO Committee

Trinidad and Tobago has not been on the committee since 2008.

Inter-American System:

OAS Permanent Council

Under the new leadership of Secretary General Luis Almagro, the OAS has re-found its focus on defending democracy but is still bound by the wishes and will of its members. But the newfound leader’s commitment—and the challenges—were shown at a meeting in June 2016 where Almagro presented his report on the state of democracy in Venezuela and proposed invoking the Inter-American Democratic Charter.

Trinidad and Tobago abstained from voting on whether or not to hear Secretary General Luis Almagro’s report on the situation regarding democracy and human rights in Venezuela under the Inter-American Democratic Charter.

At the 2017 OAS General Assembly, Trinidad and Tobago abstained from both a U.S.-Mexico backed resolution that urged the Venezuelan government not to convene a constituent assembly that would rewrite the Venezuelan constitution, and a CARICOM backed resolution that called on Venezuela to reconsider leaving the OAS.

Inter-American Commission for Human Rights (IACHR or Commission)

Trinidad and Tobago do not contribute financially to the IACHR, even despite the Commission’s recent urgent plea for emergency support.

Electoral Missions

The OAS has not conducted any electoral observation missions in Trinidad and Tobago.

Freedom of Information Laws

Since 2000 the right to information and freedom of information laws have expanded across the region. However, the existence of the laws on the books does not necessarily mean full enforcement.

Women’s rights:

Protecting women against gender-based violence is a human rights issue often overlooked globally even though it crosses social, economic and national boundaries. And according to the United Nations Population Fund, gender-based violence undermines the health, security, dignity, and autonomy of its victims. Although 16 countries in Latin America had modified their laws to include a specific type of crime referring to the murder of women by 2015, they are not uniformly implemented, and practices to convict perpetrators of gender-based violence are still extremely weak. A 2016 report published by the Small Arms Survey found that Latin America and the Caribbean is home to 14 of the 25 countries with the highest rates of femicide in the world.

[1] WJP Rule-of-Law Index measures 4 principles: 1) The government and its officials and agents as well as individuals and private entities are accountable under the law; 2) The laws are clear, publicized, stable, and just; are applied evenly; and protect fundamental rights, including the security of persons and property and certain core human rights; 3) The process by which the laws are enacted, administered, and enforced is accessible, fair, and efficient; 4) Justice is delivered timely by competent, ethical, and independent representatives and neutrals who are of sufficient number, have adequate resources, and reflect the makeup of the communities they serve.

[2] AQ Social Inclusion Index uses 23 different factors to measure how effectively governments are serving their citizens, regardless of race or income, and is published annually by Americas Quarterly at the Americas Society/Council of the Americas.