Dr Vishiesh Verma
December 10 is Human Rights Day. Human Rights are those rights which are inherent in every human being by virtue of being a human.
“There is no better religion than protection of human rights of a human being by a human being. There is no better service to mankind than respecting the human rights of a human being.” N.C.Jain, Chairperson, Punjab State Human Rights Commission 2005.
Malala Yousafzai, hailing from Swat region of Pakistan’s frontier province, the youngest peace prize recipient of prestigious Nobel Award in 2014 was shot in the head by Taliban for refusing to quit school on 9th October 2012. She survived the injury and reacted in a different way, “Terrorists thought they could change my aims but nothing changed in my life except that fear and hopelessness died; strength, courage and power were born. I am not against anyone. I speak for the right of education for every child. I want education for the sons and daughters of the Taliban and all the terrorist and extremists”. Malala adds, “So let’s wage a struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism. Let us pick up our books and our pens, they are most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the whole world. The power of pen frightens all”.
Human rights are based on mankind’s increasing demand for decent civilized life in which inherent dignity of human being is well respected and protected. These are fundamental to our very existence without which we can’t live as human beings. They occur and flow naturally which means that they can neither be earned nor denied on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, gender or any other consideration. They are often advanced as legal rights and are protected by the rule of law. However, international movements of protection of Human Rights have shown an increasing concern for prevention of human rights violations only after the Second World War.
It was in the aftermath of World War II that 50 nations, including India, signed the United Nations Charter on 26th June, 1945 creating the United Nations. The repeated reference of the term human rights reflected the concern of the member states for the preservation promotion and protection of these rights. This concern culminated in the form of a combined declaration,’ The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.’
The United Nationals General Assembly accepted it on Dec 10, 1948. The Universal Declaration marked and set forth the rights and freedoms of individuals, for the first time, in the wake of second cold war and the human rights and Fundamental Freedoms became applicable to every person, everywhere were internationally recognized, thereby, making the Declaration a common statement of mutual aspirations- a shared vision of a more equitable and just world. Since then Dec. 10 is celebrated every year worldwide as Human Rights Day.
The first sentence of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) states that respect for human rights is the foundation of freedom, peace and justice in the world. Indeed the denial of human rights is not only an individual or personal tragedy but also creates conditions of social and political unrest and sows the seeds of conflict within and between societies and nations. Examples are numerous. For the last six months, 45000 teachers working in J&K State under the centrally sponsored educational scheme Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan are without salary because of some official misunderstanding between centre and state. Lakhs of students of SSA (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan) and RMSA( Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan ) are not getting regular schooling. Their capacity of learning is already slow. An official agency Pratham has been bringing out its annual status for years. In Sept 2015, it reported that a large number of students studying in class VII are unable to read text of class IV and can’t solve simple sums of class IV. The country passed Right to Education Act five years ago and the Government announced that it spend nearly Rs 9000 yearly on the education of each student. But the students remain deprived of their rights in many areas. In Doda District there is Kahara Tehsil twelve villages of this area are living without facility of electricity even after 68 years of independence; students of this area have to study in candle light.
However for proper implementation of human rights, it is necessary for everyone to know about his or her own rights. There is indeed always a close relationship between legislation, implementation and education. International Conference on Human Rights held in Tehran (1968) called on all states to ensure that, ‘All means of education should be used to stimulate interest in the problems of human rights in the changing world’.
The United Nations General Assembly resolved in the same year to request its members to take steps according to the scholastic system of each state to introduce and encourage the principles proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other Declarations.
UNESCO International Congress on Education for Human Rights and Democracy in Montreal in March 1993 also adopted human rights a precondition for sustainable development, civil society and democracy.
The constitution of India also contains many provision regarding human rights. The preamble, the Fundamental Rights, the Fundamental duties and the Directive Principles of state policy set out equity, fraternity, liberty of faith and worship and dignity of persons.
It is on the persuasion of the UNO that number of countries started establishing human rights commissions, hence Govt. of India also enacted a law for it and the National Human Rights Commission came into being through an Act of Parliament in 1993. Soon J&K State also followed the suit, when in the year 1997, it passed the J&K protection of Act 1997(Human Rights)
It hardly needs stressing that the activity called ‘education’ – an exercise in assimilating, creating and disseminating knowledge is a powerful means of influencing and bringing attitudinal change in the citizens in general as well as professional groups in particular. Being a tool to spread awareness, information and knowledge amongst its recipient’s education can play a crucial role at each of the levels of education for the promotion of human rights.
The need for human rights education has been emphasized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international documents and other treaties. Provisions from these instruments state that human rights education consists of efforts to build Universal Culture of human rights through imparting of knowledge and skills and moulding of attitudes. Such education strengthens the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Without education we can’t see beyond ourselves and our narrow surroundings to the reality of global interdependence. Without education, we can’t realize how people of other races and religions share the same dreams and the same hopes. Without education, we can’t recognize the Universality of human aims and aspirations.
It is felt that school children should not be burdened with human rights teaching for the purpose of securing marks at the examinations. Emphasis should be on inculcating human rights values in their impressionable minds. For achieving these objective human rights teachings need not remain confined to curriculum of the schools. They must find reflection in the hidden curriculum which is revealed in creation of displays respect for and promotion of the human rights in school’s daily activities. At college and University levels these values and concepts can be taught through books and other lessons.
A growing consensus holds that human rights education can both help reduce human rights violations and contribute to build free and peaceful societies. The objectives of the United Nations in its human rights educational efforts are to teach the common language of humanity to people everywhere.
(The writer is a former Reader Coordinator of University of Jammu)
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