Report a Violation

What Complaint can be brought to the Commission?

• The Commission will accept and register complaints that allege human rights or freedoms have been violated. The act or conduct complained of must however have happened after the 26th August 2004 when the law that established the Commission came into force.
• The Commission will receive any complaint that alleges violation of the right to life, personal liberty, and freedom from torture or inhuman treatment, right to privacy of one’s person or home, right to fair hearing, freedom of movement, and violations of the rights of children, women, and persons with disabilities by public officials state agents or institutions
• The above is not a full list of rights which you can complain about in case of violation. What you need to do is to come to the Commission when you feel your right has been violated. The Commission will advise you whether or not your complaint can be accepted or not. The Commission will also give you appropriate advice in case your complaint falls outside the mandate of the Commission.

What is a Human Rights Violation?
A human rights violation happens in any of the following cases:

• When a public officer does something that violates or denies somebody his or her rights or freedom. A public officer is a government or local government official or an official of an institution or organization supported with government funds.
• When a person acting on behalf of government or a government institution or on behalf of a public officer violates or denies somebody his or her rights or freedom.
• When a public officer or government or its agents fails to perform his or her duty and as a result violates or denies somebody his or her right or freedom.
• When a public officer approves of an act or fails to intervene when a person’s right is being violated.
• When a public officer or the government knows or should have known that human right was likely to be violated but did nothing to protect a person or group of persons from the violation.
• When the government or its servants or agents refuse, or neglect to investigate and or act on a clear violation of human rights. Government has a duty to investigate all violations of human rights. This is one way human rights can be protected.
• When a person is treated with discrimination: Discrimination takes place when you are or a group of persons are treated less favorably compared to another person or group because of age, or race, or colour or sex or ethnicity, or disability. Public officials must treat all people whom they serve equally without discrimination.
• When government or its officials or agents fail in their obligation to provide basic services leading to violation of human rights.

Use the form on the next page to submit a complaint now or follow the instructions from the complaints procedure page