CHAPTER 1 - REPORT OF THE EDUCATION AND PROMOTION WORKING GROUP Police officers presenting the outcome of their discussions on women’s and children’s rights They were reminded to be sensitive to the rights of children and women, and to give special protection to victims of rape or domestic violence who seek help or lodge a report. For instance, the officer on duty at the counter should be professional and courteous in receiving such reports. The police should also avail themselves of training on handling cases involving children and women, so as to elicit full cooperation. Without this, investigations could be delayed. The Commission also briefed participants about improvements to the process. One recent initiative is to allow women and children to be taken into a private room when they lodge a report or make a complaint. At the end of the programme, participants prepared an action plan to explain how they would share the input with their subordinates. They were asked to consider the target audience, delivery methods and time required. The Commission will monitor implementation of the action plan, evaluating its effectiveness after three months. (b) Training for Prison Officials Four workshops were held from 14-16 April, 27-30 June, 26-29 September and 29 November1 December. The training was jointly organised by the Commission and the Prison Department’s Correctional Academy. The participants comprised 140 senior officials. The officials were told that they had a role in protecting human rights and to integrate these in their daily work. It was also emphasised that the purpose of a prison is to rehabilitate prisoners and not to punish them. Participants were exposed to the international human rights standards relevant to their work. 31