Human Rights Education Ways and Means

Overview & Synopsis

This paper describes the importance of human rights education as proclaimed by UN (1994) and also the strategies for developing human rights education by UN General assembly 2005. In proclaiming the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004), in December 1994, the General Assembly defined human rights education as "a life-long process by which people at all levels of development and in all strata of society learn respect for the dignity of others and the means and methods of ensuring that respect in all societies." The Assembly called upon Governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, professional associations and all other sectors of civil society to concentrate their efforts, during the ten-year period 1995-2004, on promoting a universal culture of human rights through human rights education, training and public information. This paper also focuses on different strategies for human rights education as practices or developed in different parts of the world. As in the case of any other education, human rights education can also be grouped in to three categories--formal, non-formal and informal. Parents have a role for imparting human rights education from early childhood itself. The role of mass media, NGO, Informational technologies, other organizations, commissions & local bodies are explained under the heading non formal. The role of formal educational bodies like schools, universities and other educational institutions are explained under the heading "formal". Human rights education programs should address: particular vulnerable groups, including women, children, indigenous peoples, minorities, refugees and displaced persons, the elderly, workers, peasants, persons in extreme poverty, disabled persons and persons with HIV/AIDS; particular professional groups, including security, military, police and prison personnel, judges and lawyers, public officials and decision-makers, officials involved in development cooperation, media personnel, health professionals and social workers; the formal education sector, including early childhood, primary and secondary schools, higher education, teacher training; and non-formal learning, including general public information, education within trade-unions and women's and youth organizations, and education in difficult situations such as armed conflicts and internal tension. There is a strong international movement for human rights education. According to leading educators, teaching and learning about human rights in age-appropriate ways is feasible and desirable from kindergarten through grade twelve and beyond. Schools in most parts of the world have incorporated human rights education into the curriculum. The paper also reviewed the developing human rights education / training programs, the researches going on world around and opinion papers presented on various seminars regarding the strategies for human rights education. The paper concluded with a note on the importance of developing new learning materials, text books and media for the proper human rights education.