Media can educate people about their rights: NHRC Chief

FE Report Chairman of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Dr Mizanur Rahman on Monday has said that half of the population of the country does not have any idea about their rights. He also said that the people do not even know how to establish their rights by seeking help from the NHRC. Dr Rahman said media can play pivotal role to inform the people about their rights as well as the activities of the NHRC so that they can take the commission's help to exercise their rights. Dr Rahman said these while speaking at a dialogue, organized by the NHRC, with media personalities aiming to create partnership to develop a module for rights based awareness at Dhaka Club. "Only legal awareness is not enough, rights-based awareness among the people is needed," the NHRC chief said. Seeking media's help to inform people about their rights and create awareness Dr Rahman elaborated the NHRC's activities and achievements in the dialogue. During the dialogue Mizanur Rahman welcomed the media personalities to be critical about NHRC's activities in order to make the organization more accountable to the general masses. Senior journalists in the dialogue said the NHRC officials need to visit each and every media house to develop relationship with the people involved to build a working relationship. They also suggested to form a focal point at the NHRC office to provide latest developments on 24-hour basis to the media. They have suggested informing people about NHRC activities through billboard, television scroll, and short message service through mobile phone companies. The journalists also insisted to introduce the human rights issues in the educational institutions, so that people can be aware of their rights from the beginning. They said junior level journalists' training can be provided by the NHRC at different levels to let them know how to address the human rights issues but that needs to be more practical than theoretical. They said the NHRC needs to run as an institution. Members of NHRC Kazi Riazul Hoque, Nirupa Dewan, Dr Niru Kumar Chakma, journalists Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, Shyamal Dutta also spoke, among others, on the occasion.