2010 JusticeMaker from Bangladesh Preparing to Launch Human Rights Training Sessions

 2010 Asia JusticeMakers Fellow from Bangladesh Adv. Shahanur Islam has completed preparations on training materials on torture and human rights. Mr. Shahanur, who is also the executive director of the Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR), will organize training sessions for different professionals in respective fields, such as lawyers, prison and police officials, judicial representatives and journalists, to increase their capacity as well as their knowledge about the international human rights instruments available to them.

The training aims to assist in achieving the goal of torture eradication in Bangladesh. The sessions will held in October 2010 in Khulna and in November in Naogaon. From these sessions several participants will be selected to assist Mr. Shahanur in conducting informational meetings on human rights to reach out to the general public. These meetings, to be held in 2011, will be hosted by universities, schools and community centers.

During the training sessions in October and November, Mr. Shahanur will use different teaching techniques. He will for instance distribute informational materials, deliver lectures, making use of Power Point presentations, conduct brainstorming sessions, etc. The programme will cover the concepts, definitions and origins of human rights, discuss details about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), as well as focus on specific articles of the UDHR. Mr. Shananur will make a comparison between the Constitution of People’s Republic of Bangladesh and the UDHR.

Significant time is scheduled to discuss the concept and definition of torture.  as well as the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the Committee Against Torture(CAT).  He will address which articles have been reserved by the Bangladesh Government, when the government of Bangladesh ratified the CAT, what the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) implies and how it affects Bangladesh.

Mr. Shahanur is also working on preparing materials for the informational human rights sessions that will be open to the public in 2011. The collection and preparation of information on the articles and sections from the Constitution of Bangladesh, existing laws and international human rights instruments are completed.

Accompanied by his assistants Mr. Shahanur will use these materials during the informational sessions. The meetings will have the same structure as the training for professionals, thus conducting lectures, distributing papers and informational materials in order to raise awareness and enhance knowledge on fundamental human rights to empower the citizens of Bangladesh.

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