Fighting human rights abuses must begin in the classroom

Mr. Sammy Jacobs Abbey, Founder and Director of International Centre for Conflict and Human Rights Analysis, has stressed the need to lobby government to include the study of human rights in the school curriculum of Ghanaian schools.

This stems from the fact that Human Rights instruments, such as the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, (UDHR) are not being up held because many people do not understand them, though the concept is rooted in most of the world’s religions and cultures and reflected in many legal systems.

To make implementation of UDHR around the world a reality, thirty articles on the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, a publication and a visual presentation on the UDHR have been developed by the Youth for Human Rights International, (YHRI) a non-governmental organization.

The YHRI is working to achieve its aims through a series of regional and international conferences on human rights, including Panafest celebrations in Cape Coast in July 2005.

According to the Executive Director of YHRI, Mr. Timothy Bowels, the organization’s purpose is to teach youth around the globe about human rights, specifically the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“By raising students’ awareness of the existence and importance of human rights, we aid them to become valuable advocates for the promotion of tolerance and peace.”

In Ghana YHRI is working in collaboration with YHRI – Ghana chapter, International Centre for Conflict and Human Rights Analysis, (ICCHRA) and Amnesty International Ghana.

“I believe that Ghana can lead the West Africa nations. I also believe our programme of human rights education, focusing on the power of the video and motion picture is particularly suited to the task at hand to capture the imagination and creative power of young people.”

He cited ignorance of human rights as a major barrier to achieving human rights. “With the help of YHRI’s instructional materials, we have the clear opportunity to resolve this poverty of knowledge and with it plant the seeds of inter-cultural tolerance and justice upon which peace and prosperity depend.”