Key Issues
iv.
To identify best practices in other countries that contribute to the reduction of deaths in
custody; and
v.
To develop a training manual based on the findings and recommendations in order to
impart the relevant knowledge to the police force.
The Commission’s Report on the study, which is expected to be completed in 2015, will outline
the underlying causes of the issue of death in custody; the Commission’s observations and
findings on the issue; and recommendations on appropriate measures to overcome incidences
of death in custody.
4. RIGHT TO HEALTH IN PRISON
The Commission’s second thematic study, on the right to health in prison, was undertaken
with the overall objective of ensuring that the conditions of confinement in the country are
constitutional and consistent with standards of health, safety, and human dignity in order to
achieve a criminal justice system that respects individual rights.
The study was guided by the United Nations (1990) Basic Principles for the Treatment of
Prisoners which sets out that “prisoners shall have access to the health services available
in the country without discrimination on the grounds of their legal situation” (Principle 9, A/
RES/45/111). The research methodology involved gathering relevant data through surveys and
reviewing existing practices and procedures of the prisons concerning the right to health. In
conducting this study, the Commission visited 24 prisons and interviewed 5,484 prisoners (male
and female), 893 prison staff and 51 medical assistants.
At present, the data collected are being compiled and analysed. A full report detailing the
health situation in Malaysia’s prisons as well as recommendations to include international best
practices will be released in 2015.
5. HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS
Recognising that schools are the best places to nurture and instil human rights values in future
generations, the Commission, together with the Ministry of Education (MOE), in 2008 initiated
the Human Rights Best Practices in Schools Programme (HRBPS). The HRBPS programme
was designed to integrate human rights values and principles into the school system, and was
expanded to 138 public schools and 93 Indigenous People Schools in 2014. A number of teachers
were trained as Master Trainers to lead and train other teachers regarding the programme. The
Commission observed that most of the schools under the HRBPS programme have to some
extent successfully incorporated the programme into their school activities.
That said, the Commission also encountered several challenges in the implementation of the
programme, including instances where administrators of schools have misunderstood the
nature of the programme, where school coordinators have been too busy with their work which
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