NHRC lectures raise awareness of human rights among school students

The National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) organised a series of diverse lectures on the fundamental principles of human rights as part of the Spring Centers Initiative launched by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE).Held across 16 centers and schools, 1,000 male and female students got benefited from this flagship initiative.In a statement on Saturday, NHRC affirmed that it had presented its awareness-raising lectures to 6 schools for males, namely Khalifa Secondary School for Boys, Abdullah Bin Ali Al Misnad Independent Preparatory School for Boys, Mohammad Bin Abdulwahhab Independent Secondary School for Boys, Ali Bin Jassim Bin Mahmood Al-Thani Secondary School for boys, Jaber Bin Hayyan Primary Boys School, and Osama bin Zaid Preparatory School.In addition, 7 lectures were provided to Al Markhiya Primary School for Girls, Al Ekhlas Model School, Sawda bint Zam'a Preparatory School for Girls, Al Khor Primary Girls School, Maria Al-Qibtiyya Preparatory School for Girls, Fatima Bint Al Waleed Preparatory School for girls, and Umm Salama Primary Girls School.Director of NHRC Programs and Education Department, Hamad Al Hajri, lauded the MoEHE's initiative, affirming that it came at the core of NHRC's objectives in propagating human rights culture in school campuses. He added that spreading this culture among students primarily contributes to preventing human rights violations over the long haul, representing as a crucial investment in the quest for having a fair society where all human rights are respected and recognized.Al Hajri, pointed out that the strength of the diffusion of human rights among communities is derived from instilling the fundamental principles of human rights in students' hearts, underlining that schools are optimal venues to raise awareness about human rights, positioning themselves as social institutions that discharge extraordinary duties in upbringing and qualification.He underscored the importance of imbuing students with human rights training skills, along with their impact on educating them about their rights and duties, highlighting that the lectures included in-depth explanations about the fundamental human rights instruments, humans' duties and responsibilities, as well as reviewing human rights and their principles and resources.Al Hajri emphasised the standards set by the United Nations for human rights, clarifying the distinction between declarations and conventions. He pointed out that the lectures highlighted the universality of human rights, covering all civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights, along with their integration and interconnection, asserting that they are indivisible.One of the characteristics of human rights is their inherent nature, originating with human birth and proceeding until death, as well as their universality, benefiting every individual on Earth without discrimination, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, language, or nationality, Al Hajri underlined.He emphasised that the lectures stressed the importance of students' commitment to hewing to their duties and responsibilities toward their families, communities, homeland and the entire world and humanity, and avoiding dereliction of their duties.The lectures also identified the international charters that determined the duties and responsibilities that people should adhere to, along with their rights, Al Hajri outlined, indicating that it is incumbent upon every single person to respect and protect all human rights and freedoms in the shared community, in addition to abiding by human rights precepts to ensure those members of the community are not harmed.The lectures featured a training paper on protecting children in a safe digital environment given the digital transformation, which has led to the engagement of the majority of the global population in the digital environment, resulting in their interaction with various aspects, thereby exposing this environment to multiple menaces and challenges and ultimately eliminated geographical boundaries, enabling many people to manage virtual activities that may involve violations of the law, religious values, or ethics, as well as infringement upon the rights of others.