Jamaica Set to Vote on Charter of Rights

After nearly three decades, the Jamaican Parliament will vote today on the Charter of Rights Bill, which would replace Chapter Three of the Jamaican Constitution, which protects “Fundamental Rights and Freedoms.” In order to pass, the bill, which saw its final debate in November, would need to receive two-thirds of the votes in both houses of Parliament. Critics say there are flaws in the bill, however. Nancy Anderson, a legal officer for the Independent Jamaican Council on Human Rights, said the bill failed, for example, to include a right of access to health care.