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HR watchdog redirects heavy volume of gripes
An influx of complaints demanding justice at the Human Rights Commission (HRC) has led to the streamlining of the work resulting in several filings being declined.
Chairperson Deepika Udagama said the office had been compelled to reject several cases of custodial violations, land disputes, debt and enforcement of court decisions as they fell within the remit of other agencies.
Complaints pile up as a result of a public misconception that the HRC is the only place at which people could seek redress. The other agencies including the Police Commission, the Ombudsman, the Insurance Ombudsman and the Right to Information office are not widely known to complainants.
“SLHRC has been a one stop shop receiving more than 10,000 complaints a year in the last five years,’’ Ms Udagama said.
However, last year the number of cases dropped to 6,000. This was due the efforts of the management to educate its officials to distinguish and accept only those under its purview. Officials also began advising and directing complainants to other agencies.
To facilitate remedies and speed up investigations, the HRC has designed a ‘focal point’ referral throughout its regional offices where teams investigate cases involving administration violations and injustice. In genuine mishaps and delays, the cases are discussed arbitrarily and settled with respondents.
The HRC is mandated to settle all cases in six months. But it says there are staff shortages and that causes delays of several years resulting in the public being disgruntled and losing faith in the institution.