Question- Give a brief account of Human rights education.

Or
State the place and importance of human rights education in modern society.
Or
State the specific rights included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed by the U.N.

Ans.

Human rights, today, is rightly and universally regarded as of fundamental value in life. The history of mankind proves that many persons died for it, killed for it some desire for it, while others fear it. As late as 1945, when the U.N Charter was signed at San Francisco on June 26, it was felt necessary “to reaffirm faith in the fundamental human rights” and “in the dignity and worth of the human person.” and to provide that the U.N General Assembly would initiate studies and make recommendations “for the purpose, among others, for promoting international cooperation in economic, social, cultural, education and health fields and assisting in the realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.” Human rights have been described as “those minimal rights that every individual must have by virtue of his being a member of human family”.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was proclaimed by the General Assembly of U. N on 10th December 1948, contains thirty articles that specify set of rights and freedom for the survival of mankind. The specified rights include the following :

• right to life, liberty and personal security;
• freedom from slavery and servitude;
• freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention;
• the right to fair trial by an independent and impartial tribunal;
• the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty;
• freedom from interference with one's home or correspondence;
• freedom of movement and residence;
• the right to a nationality;
• the right to marry and raise children;
• freedom of thought, conscience and religion;
• freedom of opinion and expression;
• freedom of peaceful assembly and association;
• the right to vote and participate in Governments;
• the right to social security;
• the right to work;
• the right to adequate standard of living;
• the right to education;
• the right to participate in the cultural life of the community;

The rights stated above were adopted in the form of a resolution, but not as a legally binding convention. This declaration is observed by all the countries of the world as a code of conduct for the establishment of lasting peace among mankind.

It is idle to pretend that all of us in the world enjoy these human rights just because it is provided by the Declaration. But it is remarkable that we live in an age of great revolutionary changes, brought about by the advance of science and technology. The deep oceans and the high skies with all their mysteries are being explored and promises of bright future await the posterity. But we have also witnessed the misapplication of technological skills that we have acquired by sweat and labour and by denying to ourselves the comforts which otherwise would have accrued. The two global wars with their accompanying destruction have amply brought home the wastefulness of our efforts in this direction.

The Universal Declaration was thus not a sudden or sporadic outburst of sentiment, but an expression of the inner urge which had, for ages, been silently welling up in the hearts of mankind. The primary anxiety has been to secure what was and is considered to be most essential of all the fundamental rights including freedom of faith and belief. To India, which struggled for freedom from centuries of foreign domination, this U.N. charter and the subsequent Declaration of Human Rights came like balm to a soul wounded and cramped by the long period of chains. Even in ancient times our forefathers recognised the fatherhood of God in their daily prayer “Thou art our Father”. This supreme realisation enabled them to realise the brotherhood of man. This tradition, supressed but living in the sub-conscious, made us enshrine most these fundamental human rights in our constitution ahead of, even many of the advanced western countries. Human Rights Education should take the lead to develop an awareness among the people about human rights by teaching Indian cultural and educational heritage.

It must be remembered that the struggle for achieving human rights is far from over. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is only a sort of a curtain-raiser, a precursor to the contemplated international bill of rights which is yet to come. It is a significant landmark in the process of evolution of the thoughts and aspirations of the people of the world and certainly constitutes a milestone in the path of human progress. But it is only a milestone, not the goal. The day is yet to come when the fundamental human rights can be achieved through education.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights therefore states that “education should be directed to the full development of human personality and the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedom.” Efforts must be made to make the students aware of a universal culture of human rights by imparting required knowledge and also by moulding the attitude of the students. Human Rights Education should take the help of the agencies like National Human Rights Commission, UGC, Human Rights Education, outside, the formal system, human Rights Education in formal institutions, higher education institutions and also the help of home to make the students conscious about the significance of Human Rights in life.

Child Rights

The child is educated in a society, through a society and for society. The nature of the society and the world for which the child is trained must be fully understood, by those who are called upon to train him. In this connection, understanding the rights of the child is the first step in his education. If the educator has to help the child, make the right adjustment to the world in which he has to live, he must understand and respect the rights of the child.

The child is not a piece of stone that can be carved into any shape nor is he a lump of clay that can be moulded into any form. He has his own dynamic nature, seeking satisfaction. Since he is a human being, worthy of respect in his own right, the educationists and all those who deal with the child must understand what he wants and accordingly they must respect his rights.

The interest of the child then requires that children must not be accorded the same rights as adults. A second line of reasoning supports this conclusion as well. Our fundamental notion of fairness demands a balance between rights and responsibilities. If children were granted the right to make contracts we would rightly insist that they had a duty to keep them. Children’s inability to understand and control their own actions is the source of our refusal to accord them either adult rights or adult responsibilities. If we grant them the former, we would need to grant them the latter as well. This notion of fairness extends to the relationship between them and their guardians as well.

Thus parents have the right to impose their views on their own children, and make decisions on their behalf. This benefit is offset by parents’ obligation to support their children financially and psychologically.

The rights and responsibilities accorded to very young children ought to be different from those accorded to adults. In particular the denial to children of adult rights and responsibilities usually serves the child’s own interests.

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