| Background |
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There is no genuine human rights respect and no democracy without the dissemination of a human rights culture. Today much is left to do in the region as a whole in order to develop a genuine human rights culture due to oppressive political and cultural environment. This situation of the region in relation to human rights in general conduce to severe restrictions on what can actually be undertaken and what specific topics and issues can be addressed within human rights education. There are many educators in the region who emphasise the importance of HRE not only for disseminating human rights culture in general but also in the
context of current political and cultural reform as well as social advancement. Nowadays, young people are considered as the main pillar of social change movements and they are increasingly regarded as main players in societal evolution and drivers for political reforms.
At the same time the human rights organisations are facing the challenge of integrating a new generation of committed young human rights defenders in their midst. It is crucial that this new generation is addressed and kept within the orbit of human rights. Developing human rights education methodologies and supporting the participation and visibility of young people are important entry points in this regard. A recent survey, commissioned by the EMHRN, reports about a number of good practices among NGOs engaged in HRE. However it also shows a widespread lack of consistency and sustainability in the work being done.
Many NGOs do not have a clear vision of their work or feasible, practical strategies. Only few organisations display a high degree of professionalism (in for example integrating educational methodologies into their work) while the majority is weak, under-qualified and under-resourced with regard to human rights education. |
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