News Releases

UWI Law Dean: Arouca Facility’s Practices Contravene Human Rights Principles

For Release Upon Receipt - October 9, 2019

St. Augustine


ST. AUGUSTINE, Trinidad and Tobago. October 9, 2019– The following statement is issued by Dean of the Faculty of Law, Professor Rose Marie Belle-Antoine following the discovery of 69 people being held at an Arouca facility in Trinidad today, October 9.

I am dismayed at the breaking news about 69 persons found in cages in a facility in Arouca and we commend the police for its decisive action. The reasons for this travesty are still emerging, whether for supposed treatment of mental illness, homelessness, suspicions of trafficking in persons, or slavery. However, what is clear is that irrespective of the reason, each and every person is entitled to freedom, the right not to be deprived of their liberty, the right to dignity and personhood.

Concerns about torture at the treatment meted out to these captives are also alarming and contravene every known human right principle and standards of ethical and humane conduct. It is telling that this has been revealed at a time when we focus on Mental Health week and seek to elevate our previously poor understandings of and support given to the documented high number of persons in our society who experience mental health issues.

As a society, we should also reflect on the disturbing phenomenon of the many homeless persons on our streets, which exposes the vulnerability of persons who should be in our care. We need to confront the reality that serious violations of human rights and other atrocities are occurring every day in our nation and we cannot continue, to “bury our hands in the sand”.

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About Professor Rosemarie Belle-Antoine

Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, Dean of the Faculty of Law at The UWI St. Augustine Campus is Professor of Labour Law and Offshore Financial Law is an award winning author, attorney and international legal consultant. Professor Belle Antoine was elected by OAS states as a Commissioner on the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Washington 2011 and elected President in 2015. She was the Rapporteur for Persons of African Descent and Discrimination, Rapporteur for Indigenous Peoples and the inaugural Head of the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Unit at the IACHR/OAS.  She created history by winning the distinguished UWI Vice Chancellor’s Prize for Excellence in Research and Public Service twice. She has published twelve books, including two with the renowned Oxford University Press and several articles.

Formerly a legal officer at the ILO in Geneva, Antoine has served as Lead Consultant to all of the governments of CARICOM, the UK, Venezuela, USA and Canada, and to several international organizations, including the UNDCP, ILO, UNIFEM, EU, OAS, IADB, World Bank, CARICOM, OECS, UNICEF, PANCAP, CAREC, and UNAIDS. Consequently, she authored influential Policy Reports and drafted legislation on several diverse subjects including Drugs and Narcotics, Labour Law, Free Movement, HIV, Financial Law, Health, Discrimination, Mutual Legal Assistance, Women’s Rights, Money-Laundering, Anti-Corruption, the Judiciary, Public Service, Police, Child/ Juvenile Justice, Education and Human Trafficking.

About The UWI

For over 70 years The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has provided service and leadership to the Caribbean region and wider world. The UWI has evolved from a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948 to an internationally respected, regional university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and an Open Campus. As part of its robust globalization agenda, The UWI has established partnering centres with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, and Africa including the State University of New York (SUNY)-UWI Center for Leadership and Sustainable Development; the Canada-Caribbean Studies Institute with Brock University; the Strategic Alliance for Hemispheric Development with Universidad de los Andes (UNIANDES); the UWI-China Institute of Information Technology, the University of Lagos (UNILAG)-UWI Institute of African and Diaspora Studies and the Institute for Global African Affairs with the University of Johannesburg (UJ). The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science & Technology, Social Sciences and Sport. 

As the region’s premier research academy, The UWI’s foremost objective is driving the growth and development of the regional economy. The world’s most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education, has ranked The UWI among the top 600 universities in the world for 2019, and the 40 best universities in Latin America and the Caribbean for 2018 and 2019.The UWI has been the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists.  For more, visit www.uwi.edu.

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