ONE DAY BASIC TRAINING PROGRAMME ON HUMAN RIGHTS
A One Day Basic Training Programme on Human Rights was conducted by KUCTE, Kayamkulam in association with National Human Rights commission, New Delhi on 29th October 2014.The seminar convenors were Dr. Smitha.J.M and Dr Sunith Kumar. G.N. Several committees were organized for the smooth functioning of the seminar and each committee was headed by a teacher.
Registration for the seminar started at 9am. About 140 students were registered to participate in the seminar. One file, a notepad, a pen, 3 booklets related to human rights were distributed among the participants. After the registration, the inaugural session began with a prayer by College Choir Team at 9.30am. Dr. Smitha J.M, Asst.Prof.in General Education, welcomed speakers, principal, teachers, non teachers,and other participants to the seminar. She gave a small talk highlighting the issues of seminar.The Presidential address were made by the college principal, Dr. Sunith Kumar G.N. He talked about the relevance of this seminar. The inauguration of the session was done by Mr. Shabeeruddeen, Research Officer, SCERT, Kerala. Felicitation was done by Mr. M. Abdulla, Vice President, CDC, and Mr. Maheen Kannu, Chairman, College Union, and Mr. J. Muralidas, Asst .Prof. in General Education, concluded the programme by delivering vote of thanks.
The seminar was organized around 4 sessions.
- Introduction to Human Rights.
- Human Rights Institution in India.
- Rights of Women and Children.
- Rights of other vulnerable groups.
Human rights are fundamental for living and for normal human existence. They are based on the concept that every man and woman, irrespective of caste, creed, colour, race and nationality is born with certain fundamental rights such as, right to live, speech, freedom, justice, etc. These rights are , therefore, enshrined in the constitution of the countries. Inorder, that these basic rights are maintained and adhered to by the nations of the world. The importance of Rights to Human and to Child is increasingly felt internationally as is evidenced by the Nobel Peace Prize(2014) awarded to Kailash Satyarthy and Malala Yousafzai for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the rights of all children to education. This training programme is intended to promote awareness about human rights issues to the prospective teachers and to enlighten them with ideas to spread messages on proper implementation of human rights and its different perspectives.
Session I â Introduction to Human Rights.
The academic sessions started at 10 a. m by Mr. .N .Mohan Kumar, Advocate, Kerala State Human Rights commission .The session mainly concentrated on âIntroduction to Human Rightsâ. The session dealt with the basic elements of human rights and the major articles in the constitution of India. He said that we should develop humanity and empathy, then only we can understand others. He said that in ages past, there were no human rights. Then the idea emerged that people should have certain freedoms. And that idea, in the wake of World War II, resulted finally in the document called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the thirty rights to which all people are entitled. He showed some short films related to human rights.
Session II- Human Rights Institutions in India.
The second session started at 11.45 am after tea break. The session handled by Prof. Varghese, Former member, Kerala State Human Rights commission dealt with âHuman Rights Institutions in India.â The session was targeted on some important amendments and decisions taken by Human Rights commission. He mentioned about the success of his human rights activities in kerala. He also briefly described the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He also talked about the violation of human rights. The session ended at 1pm. After that sumptuous lunch, Biriyani was served to everyone.
Session III â Rights of Women and Children.
The third session,âRights of Women and Childrenâ started at 1.45 p. m after lunch. The session was handled by Fr. Joye James S.J, Chairman, Child welfare Committee, Trivandrum. The area of concern was the privileges of women and children. The session thoroughly dealt with the problems faced by women and children in India, the need of awareness regarding human rights and so on. He also emphasized how a teacher can act in child rights and laws. Sexual Abuse and Child Labour were also discussed in this session. The session ended at 3.15 p. m
Session IV â Rights of Other Vulnerable Groups.
The final session, âRights of Other Vulnerable Groupsâ started at 3.30 p. m after the tea break. Mr. .O. Hariz, Advocate, Child Welfare committee Member lead the session. The session concentrated on the rights of vulnerable groups, rights of women and children, problems in families etc. He said, in a human rights sense, certain population groups often encounter discriminatory treatment or need special attention to avoid potential exploitation. These populations are referred to as vulnerable groups. Children, pregnant women, elderly people, malnourished people, and people who are ill or immune compromised, are particularly vulnerable when a disaster strikes, and take a relatively high share of the disease burden associated with emergencies. Poverty â and its common consequences such as malnutrition, homelessness, poor housing and destitution â is a major contributor to vulnerability.
The session ended at 5 p. m followed by distribution of certificates to the participants by Mr. O. Hariz. All the four sessions were very fruitful and rich enough to supply a thorough awareness of the major areas regarding human rights like Introduction to Human Rightsâ, âHuman Rights Institutions in India.â âRights of Women and childrenâ, âRights of other vulnerable Groupsâ etc. The seminar was dispersed after National Anthem.