Human Rights Day 2020: CHRDA launches Human Rights Handbook and Human Rights Regional Resource Centre Buea.
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Human Rights Education is primary to the protection of Human Rights in our societies. For the smooth implementation of the human rights instruments put in place by the international stakeholders, all persons, irrespective of their educational background, gender, and status in all domains oath to their rights and obligations.
The international human rights day which is commemorated annually on 10 December, marks the end of the 16days activism against Gender-Based Violence. This year’s commemoration under the theme “Recover Better-Stand Up for Human Rights is a very difficult one with the threat from the global health pandemic, COVID-19.
The Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa, on the commemoration of the International Human Rights Day partners with the Regional Office of the United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner for Central Africa and launched two historic human rights education instruments. The event, which took place in Buea, the Southwest Region of Cameroon, saw the launching of the Human Rights Handbook and the Human Rights Regional Resource Centre Buae.
The Human Rights handbook is coming at a time when there is a lacuna in the protection of Human Rights in Cameroon. According to Louis Marie BOUAKA, the Representative for Central Africa United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in the forward of the handbook he said. “Once a proud host to refugees from neighbouring countries, Cameroon is now an ‘exporter’ of refugees, with 35,000 Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), March 2019). There are 421,700 refugees in Cameroon from Nigeria, Chad, and the Central African Republic combined (UNHCR, 31 August 2020). Conversely, the crisis in the North-West and South-West Regions and the fight against Boko Haram in the Far North Region have produced 711,056 and 321,886 internally displaced persons respectively (UNHCR, 31 October 2020). This means that there are over twice as many Cameroonians displaced within their own country as the total number of refugees from neighbouring countries living in Cameroon.”
Barrister Agbor Nkongho, the president of CHRDA on another hand expresses that there is a need for human rights education at all levels. This is because human rights defenders can only succeed when our communities are aware of their rights and obligations. The handbook cuts across all sections, and it is readable and understandable to all levels of education, and professions. For more information, click the link below: CHRDA partners with the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa, launches Human Rights Handbook and Regional Human Rights Resource Centre Buea
The Human Rights Regional Resource Centre Buea is rich with UN publications, International Human Rights and facts sheets good for researchers, students and professionals. According to the report from the CHRDA website, the Resource Centre is open to the public from 9 am to 4 pm and from Mondays to Fridays.
Berinyuy Cajetan is the founder and publisher of Human Rights and Legal Research Centre (HRLRC) since 2017. He has intensive experience in strategic communications for Civil Society Organizations, campaign and advocacy, and social issues. He has an intensive experiencing in human rights monitoring, documentation and reporting.
