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Seychelles Prison names members for joint technical committee with Mauritius |13 July 2020

Seychelles Prison names members for joint technical committee with Mauritius

Mrs Meira Savy

The Seychelles Prison Service has named its members to represent the entity on a joint prison technical committee with Mauritius.

The members are Raymond St. Ange, superintendent of Seychelles Prison Service; Meira Savy, advisor to the Designated Minister; Elsa Nourice, principal probation officer and head of rehabilitation services at the Seychelles Prison; and chief inspector Louisna Neamtu, head of internal assurance and quality at the Seychelles Prison.

The nominations were submitted through a letter sent to the Mauritius Prison Service with a note verbal from the department of foreign affairs attached.

In October 2017, the then Minister for Family Affairs, Jeanne Simeon and the Mauritian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Seetanah Lutchmeenaraidoo, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) which would see each country’s respective prison service cooperating in the areas of prison operations and staff training. The agreement was to remain in force for a period of three years following which it would be automatically renewed for an additional three years.

During a meeting held on January 31, 2020 in the Kingdom of Morocco, the respective prison service chiefs agreed that it was now time to pursue opportunities that the agreement would bring, and that the committee should be activated.

“Taking stock of our achievements to date and noting that the firstRabat Declaration for reforms called for prison services in Africa to raise their standards, we agreed that this was the opportune moment for Mauritius and Seychelles to work closely together to do just that,” superintendent of Seychelles Prison Service Raymond St. Ange pointed out.

The agreement will address training opportunities, capacity development for staff, and exchange of best practices via the committee providing both services the opportunity to ensure that the objectives of the MoU are met.

“Certainly the COVID-19 situation has complicated matters, however meeting with the commissioner of the Mauritius Prison Service earlier this year and now announcing our representatives for the joint committee, confirms in part our mutual intention to act upon what was agreed,” Mr St. Ange highlighted.

Apart from the MoU with the Mauritian Prison Service, an agreement with the Tanzanian Prison Service is currently in force and being applied and one with the Israel Prison Service is being considered.

Meanwhile, Mr St. Ange said the Seychelles Prison Service is looking forward to marking its third observation of Nelson Mandela Day on August 21 at the University of Seychelles. He said this will further elaborate on what the prison hopes to achieve not only through this agreement with Mauritius but also through the close collaboration with other prison services.

 

Press release from the Seychelles Prison Service

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