Application of Human Rights Framework – The Basics

Are you someone who has an interest in daily news and has noted the worldwide concern for human rights? Have you been following the debates on human rights? Have you wanted to learn about the basics of human rights yourself? 

Or, are you a human rights or social activist seeking to strengthen your skills for applying the human rights framework?     

If one of these categories describes you, then this course will help you in your quest!  

So, what will you get from this course?

Very briefly, the course introduces you to the basic concepts and principles of human rights, the different categories of rights, the notion of State obligations, the basics of applying the human rights framework to issues, and an overview of strategies for promoting and protecting rights.  

What will you get in terms of how the course is taught?  

The course is taught using the following:

• Lectures with lots of examples to help you connect

• Questions for reflection

• Case studies

• Practice exercises based on case studies

• Lesson-end quiz

• One 60-minute assignment

Each lesson begins with a statement of what you will cover in that lesson and ends with a reinforcement of what you have learned. There are lots of infographics in the course to help understand the complex concepts and what’s more, to make it exciting for you, we have converted each of them to a poster, which you can download at your end.   

Similarly, you can download the case studies and practice questions along with the model answers as well!   

You can use all the downloadable materials to conduct your own trainings and workshops or as ready reckoners.  

What else do you get?  

Please remember, this course is a basic course on human rights, hence each component discussed in this course needs further in-depth inquiry and learning. Therefore, it is likely you will have clarifications and questions. Be assured that the instructor will always be around at the discussion forum to assist you further. Simply post your questions and she will respond to them promptly.  

Human rights being a very dynamic subject, the instructor will also keep you informed with periodic news, views, materials, and updates through the discussion forum. The aim is to make your journey into learning human rights a truly collaborative one! What’s more, at the discussion forum you are likely to meet human rights enthusiasts and activists from all over the world and be able forge new alliances and friendships!  

If all this sounds exciting to you, then get ready to add this course to your cart and make it a part of your knowledge-acquiring journey – ‘knowledge’ that you can put into action for a better world!  

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Content and Overview  

This course is divided into four lessons:  

Lesson 1: Fundamental Concepts and Principles of Rights – In this lesson, you will get to know what we mean when we say, “I HAVE a right” and from where and how these rights have evolved. You will get a close look at systems at the national, regional, and international levels that provide recognition and protection to these rights. You will also understand how “rights holders” and “duty bearers” are defined under the international human rights system.  

Lesson 2: Categories of Rights – This lesson will cover the meaning and scope of rights guaranteed in the International Bill of Rights. So, here we will examine the fundamental characteristics of rights, including a discussion on “discrimination.” Finally, you will get a glimpse into the different categories of nights namely – civil liberties, political, economic, social, and cultural rights along with an understanding of the common features that bind them.  

Lesson 3: Understanding State Obligations – In this lesson, with the help of a case study and a practice exercise with a model answer, you we will get to examine the content of obligations of States to ‘respect’, ‘protect’, and ‘fulfil’ with regard to any right.

Lesson 4: Applying the Human Rights Framework – In the concluding lesson, you will have the opportunity to learn about how to conduct a human rights assessment. Case studies and practice sessions will help you fortify your learning. Finally, we will wind up reflecting upon strategies for human rights work.