Gauri Chabbra
When Rousseau once said,” Man is born free but he is everywhere in chains…” little did the world know that he was striking a clarion call for human rights.
Human rights – we keep coming across these terms every now and then, in newspapers, in magazines, in conferences so much so that we all feel these are an essential part of our lives. Now the question arises, what exactly are Human Rights? Human Rights are universal and fundamental rights regardless of man-made classifications like caste, creed, sex, nationality etc. Human rights are the basic rights of a person to survive in this world i.e. the right to healthy food, right to clean water, freedom of movement and speech and freedom from slavery and discrimination. Representing fundamental human values, these rights are eternal, inalienable and unvarying; all other rights flow from these.
Human Rights as a career:
The experience of recent times with run through our lives like an agonizing cry of pain, women being abused and treated sub humanly, children being made instruments of violence and abuse call for the need of a segment of people who can safeguard our basic rights and make the earth a better place to live in. Hence, the increasing significance of a career in Human Rights. Traditionally, the human rights violation occurred due to State or its actors, however, the contemporary time has witnessed human rights violations by individuals, institutions and at societal levels. Over the years, the National Human Rights Commissions of India has been recording and reporting a number of human rights violations including civil, political, social and economic rights. These violations and victimizations are with regard to the issues concerning right to food, right to health, right to education, rights of women against violence and exploitation, rights of Children against abuse and exploitation, rights of migrants and their violation based on caste, creed, region and region.
Course Cursor:
A number of institutes offer certificate, diploma and degree courses in Human Rights.Most of the University Departments offering a Post-Graduate or Under-Graduate programs have Human Rights as one of their main subjects. Some Universities, Colleges, Institutions and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) also offer Diplomas and Certificates. The eligibility to take admission in these courses is generally a Bachelor’s degree in any stream having some understanding of human rights issues.
Specializing in human rights or international law, after a basic law degree would offer better opportunities.
Some of the institutes offering degree courses:
* Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
* Andhra University, Visakhapatnam
* Cochin University of Science &
Technology, Kochi
* Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
* M.S. University of Baroda,Vadodara
* Berhampur University, Berhampur
* Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam
* Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
Some of the institutes offering Diploma Courses are:
* University of Mumbai, Mumbai
* Nagpur University, Nagpur
* Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
* University of Madras, Chennai
* University of Mysore, Mysore
* J.N. Vyas University, Jodhpur
* H.P. University, Shimla
* University of Kashmir, Srinagar
* Indian Law Institute, New Delhi
* Indian Institute of Human Rights,
New Delhi
Some of the institutes offering certificate
Courses are:
* Indira Gandhi National Open University,
New Delhi
* National Law School of India University,
Bangalore
Scope and Canvas:
Human rights field has huge potential and need for multiple professionals. Work in human rights can be challenging and intense. Organizations use a variety of disciplines in their approach to Social Justice, Juvenile Justice, Gender Justice, Custodial Justice, and now emerging area of Climate Justice including direct service, monitoring & evaluation, lobbying and networking, advocacy, policy development, documenting and research. Activities include research focusing on preventing and ending human rights abuses in all regions of the world, monitoring human rights development, conducting on-site fact finding and investigations, writing case studies and reports on human rights conditions, engaging in advocacy to publicize and curtail human rights violations, litigation, lobbying, and promoting human rights practices in social and political structures. In addition, human rights professionals provide advisory and educational services, refugee assistance, victim’s rehabilitation, policy analysis for national and international institutions, assistance in institution building and project development and management in the field of human rights based civil society organizations.
Professions and Organizations:
Human Rights degree under the belt opens a plethora of opportunities for you across various sectors.The human rights based job includes that of a Human rights activist, defender, analyst, researcher,Human rights advocate, Human rights teacher and many more
Career opportunities abound with social service organizations like old age homes and age care centers and NGOs working with the disabled, orphans, destitute, refugees, mentally retarded and drug-addicts. Human rights professionals can also work with established NGOs who operate in the field of human rights and civil liberties in general. Such NGOs also function in the area of human rights activism, disaster and emergency relief, humanitarian assistance, child and bonded labor, displaced people, drug abuse, conflict resolution and public interest litigation, among others. International organizations and NGOs are constantly looking for people specializing in human rights. These include the United Nations, ILO, UNESCO, UNDCP, UNFPA, WHO, US Aid, Amnesty International, Oxfam, CRY, Red Cross, DANIDA, YMCA, YWCA and many more. Statutory government bodies and cooperatives in India like the national and state commissions on women, children, human rights, labor, welfare, minorities, Panchayati Raj institutions, schools, colleges and universities including research bodies and centers of excellence, district rural development agencies and district urban development agencies, human rights consultancy organizations run by lawyers and legal experts are some other places to tap for career openings. You can also work with correctional institutions working in the fields of juvenile delinquency and child abuse as well as in women reformation centers, prisons and homes for the homeless.
Pay Packet:
The salary in the field of human rights depend upon the nature of job such as permanent, temporary, ad-hoc and project based assignments. However, the higher remuneration and various other benefits depend upon which sector one is working like government, non-government organization, corporate houses or International Organization and even whether person is working in India or abroad.
Human Rights- today and tomorrow:
A career in Human Rights is the need of the hour, in this mayhem of modernization there is a need to resonate and quote J. F Kennedy, “The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.”
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