CONCEPTUAL EVOLUTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION THROUGH VARIOUS DECLARATIONS/CONVENTIONS

DR. (MRS.) SEEMA KASHYAP; ANIRUDH SOOD

Volume : VIII, Issue : VII, July - 2019

CONCEPTUAL EVOLUTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION THROUGH VARIOUS DECLARATIONS/CONVENTIONS

Dr. Mrs. Seema Kashyap, Anirudh Sood

Abstract :

The Greek play Antigone impeccably described human rights as “immutable and unwritten laws from Heaven” which even the King could not override. The modern notion of human rights envisages uniformity of rights in relation to some fundamental aspects of human life which transgresses all boundaries of race, religion, caste, race and gender. Almost in all civilizations human rights have undergone metamorphosis from the notion of being inalienable rights to legally and constitutionally protected fundamental rights from which emanates all other rights that are not so expressly stated in a statute book but still seeks to safeguard certain principles of human life without which existence would have been meaningless. The availability of these unchallengeable rights in the society and due protection by the legal system makes human life more purposeful rather than just being a bare living entity. To elucidate that human rights cannot be dealt with in isolation of corollary human duties effective pedagogical approach in human rights education at a theoretical level becomes inherently important. It shall endeavor to promote appreciation for human rights as a fundamental ethical and legal basis of society and teach the value of human rights enforcement. Globalization has resulted in multicultural and diverse immigrant societies. Within this context, human rights education must aim to create a baseline consensus that enables students and citizens to engage with controversial social and political issues. The United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (1995–2004) has defined Human Rights Education as "training, dissemination, and information efforts aimed at the building of a universal culture of human rights through the imparting of knowledge and skills and the molding of attitudes. Education in human rights is itself a fundamental human right and also a responsibility: the Preamble to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights exhorts “every individual and every organ of society" to "strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms.” The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights declares that a government “may not stand in the way of people learning about their rights.” The world has witnessed gross human rights violations be it in the form of unlawful annexations, plunder during wartime or grave and heinous offences against civilians of subjugated nations. This corroborates to the international urge for imbibing Human Rights Education in the national curriculum. This research paper focuses on the conceptual evolution of the Human Rights Education through various international conventions and declarations and also examines the efficacy in terms of enforcement of the international consensus on the subject with special reference to Indian Scenario.