Introduction

Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms

that belong to every person in the world, from
birth until death.
They apply regardless of where you are from,
what you believe or how you choose to live
your life.
They can never be taken away, although they
can sometimes be restricted – for example if a
person breaks the law, or in the interests of
national security.
These basic rights are based on shared values
like dignity, fairness, equality, respect and independence.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The atrocities of the Second World War made the protection of human rights an international
priority.
The United Nations was founded in 1945.
The United Nations allowed more than 50 Member States to contribute to the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948.
This was the first attempt to set out at a global level the fundamental rights and freedoms shared
by all human beings.
“Through human rights education you can empower yourself and others to develop the skills and
attitudes that promote equality, dignity and respect in your community, society and worldwide.”
(Amnesty International)
It is a process of empowerment which helps identify human rights problems and seek solutions in
line with human rights principles.

Zulifqar Ali Bhutto was first politician in Pakistan who spoke about basics rights
and needs of humans.

Necessity
 Human Rights Education is crucial for building and advancing societies
 Human Rights Education empowers people to know, claim and defend their rights
 Human Rights Education promotes participation in decision making and the peaceful
resolution of conflicts
 Human Rights Education encourages empathy, inclusion and non-discrimination.
#1 It enables people to claim their rights

Everyone has the right to know about their rights. By receiving that education, people can
identify when rights are being violated and stand up to defend them.

#2 It teaches young people to respect diversity

When young people are exposed to human rights education, it teaches them to respect diversity
from an early age. This is because no matter the differences between people – race, gender,
wealth, ethnicity, language, religion, etc. – we all still deserve certain rights. Human rights also
protect diversity. The earlier people learn about this, the better it is for society.

#3 It teaches history
Learning about human rights through history challenges simple and biased narratives. It teaches
students the origins of human rights, different historical perspectives, and how they evolved
today. With this foundation in history, students better understand modern human rights.

#4 It teaches people to recognize the root causes of human rights issues

By recognizing the roots of problems, people are better equipped to change things. As an
example, it isn’t enough to know that homelessness is a human rights issue. To effectively
address it, people need to know what causes homelessness, like low-paying jobs and a lack of
affordable housing. Studying history is an important part of identifying the roots of human rights
issues.

#5 It fosters critical thinking and analytical skills

HRE doesn’t only provide information about human rights. It also trains people to use critical
thinking and analyze information. Many human rights issues are complicated, so one of HRE’s
goals is to teach people how to think. Students learn how to identify reliable sources, challenge
biases, and build arguments.

#6 It encourages empathy and solidarity

An important piece of human rights education is recognizing that human rights are universal.
When people realize that and then hear that rights are being violated elsewhere, they are more
likely to feel empathy and solidarity. The violation of one person’s rights is a violation of
everyone’s rights. This belief unites people – even those very different from each other – and
provokes action.
#7 It encourages people to value human rights

When people receive human rights education, what they learn can shape their values. They will
realize how important human rights are and that they are something worth defending. People
who’ve received human rights education are more likely to stand up when they believe their
rights (and the rights of others) are being threatened. They’ll act even when it’s risky.

#8 It fuels social justice activities

If people didn’t know anything about human rights, positive change would be rare. When people
are educated and equipped with the necessary skills, they will work for social justice in their
communities. This includes raising awareness for the most vulnerable members of society and
establishing/supporting organizations that serve basic needs.

#9 It helps people support organizations that uphold human rights

Knowing more about human rights and activism helps people identify organizations that stand up
for human rights. It also helps them avoid organizations (e.g. corrupt corporations) that directly
or indirectly disrespect rights. These organizations are then forced to change their practices to
survive.

#10 It keeps governments accountable

Armed with knowledge, skills, and passion, citizens have the power to challenge their
governments on issues and demand change. HRE also helps provide activists with resources and
connections to the global human rights community.

Fundamental Right to Food

The right to food is an inclusive right. It is not simply a right to a minimum ration of calories,
proteins and other specific nutrients. It is a right to all nutritional elements that a person needs to
live a healthy and active life, and to the means to access them.
The availability of food in quantities and quality sufficient to satisfy the dietary needs of
individuals, free from adverse substances, and acceptable within a given culture. Dietary needs
implies that the diet as a whole contains a mix of sufficient nutrients for physical and mental
growth, development and maintenance of the body,

Accessibility requires economic and physical access to food to be guaranteed. Economic

accessibility means that food must be affordable. Individuals should be able to afford food for an
adequate diet without compromising on any other basic needs, such as school fees, medicines or
rent.
Physical accessibility means that food should be accessible to all, including to the physically
vulnerable, such as children, the sick, persons with disabilities or the elderly, for whom it may be
difficult to go out to get food. Access to food must also be guaranteed to people in remote areas
and to victims of armed conflicts or natural disasters, as well as to prisoners.
The right to food is NOT the same as a right to be fed. Many assume that the right to food
means that Governments have to hand out free food to anyone who needs it. They conclude that
this would not be feasible or might cause dependency
People living in poverty in urban areas are also very vulnerable to violations of the right to
food. Most obtain food by purchasing it. Gainful employment, including self-employment, is
therefore very important. If jobs are hard to come by or their wages are pitiful so they cannot
afford food and other basic needs, such as health care, education and housing, their enjoyment of
the right to food can be undermined as they have no other means of getting food.
The Right to Food has been recognized and affirmed at the international level on many
occasions.

The situation is quite dire in Pakistan, with stunting and wasting heavily prevalent in the
country. Stunting does not only mean that a child is not having enough to eat. It is about the
quantity and quality of diet besides other factors. Inadequate nutrition among mothers during
pregnancy is one of the main reasons of malnutrition among children leading to stunting.

Nearly 10 million Pakistani children suffer from stunting.

8 out of 10 children in Pakistan do not eat right type and quantity of food.
Pakistan is a lower middle-income country and the sixth most populous in the world. While
undernourishment has slightly declined over the last two decades, it remains “moderately high”.
Strictly speaking, Pakistan is a food surplus country and a series of good harvests has meant that
food availability is high. Despite that, 60 per cent of the country faces food insecurity, with many
of the country’s poorest people unable to afford an adequate diet.

Natural disasters have increased in frequency and intensity over recent decades. From 1973 to
1993 16 floods occurred in Pakistan, but from 1993 to 2013, the number rose to 54. Again, the
poorest are generally the most affected by natural disasters. The 2010 floods destroyed local
infrastructure and agriculture and poor rural households were the slowest to recover, due to poor
aid distribution and the government response exacerbating the crisis. More recently, parts of
Pakistan experienced one of the worst droughts in the country’s history. In Sindh, a lack of
adequate rainfall since 2014 has led to crop failures and livestock deaths. The region is heavily
dependent on agriculture and the drought has adversely impacted fragile livelihoods. As a result,
while there has generally been enough food in markets, 45 per cent of the Sindhi population is
too poor to be able to afford it, while 70 per cent have taken on debt to meet household needs.

THE OBLIGATIONS ON STATES AND THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF OTHERS?

States have the primary obligation to protect and promote human rights.
The obligation to fulfil (facilitate) means the States must be proactive in strengthening people’s
access to and use of resources and means of ensuring their livelihoods, including food security.
When adopting food policies, Governments would also need to balance carefully investment in
cash crops for export and support for domestic food crops.
States must also respect, protect and support the fulfilment of the right to food of people living in
other territories. This implies that States have to ensure that their own citizens, as well as other
third parties subject to their jurisdiction, such as private companies, do not violate the right to
food in other countries.
Access to adequate, safe and culturally acceptable foods in ways that are sustainable and that do
not interfere with the enjoyment of other human rights.
The right to food requires States to provide an enabling environment in which people can use
their full potential to produce or procure adequate food for themselves and their families.
However, when people are not able to feed themselves with their own means, for instance
because of an armed conflict, natural disaster or because they are in detention, the State must
provide food directly.