Abstract
The enjoyment of human rights largely depends on the level of awareness of what these rights are and how to enforce them. Human rights education (HRE), therefore, is crucial in ensuring that people are empowered to access the rights to which they are entitled. There have been several programmes and plans of action aimed at HRE at international level, but 20 years after the advent of a new democratic and constitutional dispensation in South Africa, the level of public awareness in the country is still, unfortunately, inadequate. It is against this background that the roles and responsibilities of the main role players in HRE in South Africa are discussed and, where possible, assessed. This analysis is important, because without an understanding of all available infrastructure and the main actors involved in HRE, it is impossible to identify gaps or to make recommendations for future improvements. The role of government, human rights institutions, such as the South African Human Rights Commission, and non-state actors, such as nongovernmental organisations and other civil society formations, are reviewed, after a presentation of background information on conceptual issues, the international dimension of HRE, and HRE in Africa. Recommendations for increased involvement in HRE - especially by government - are made. It is recommended that the state play a more dominant role in HRE, because it has the resources and the obligation and responsibility to do so.
Highlights
Over the last two decades, there has been a worldwide surge of interest in human rights education (HRE), and the concept has slowly but surely found its place into the language of relevant government departments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), educational institutions, international human rights agencies, and other human rights groups
The Commission could in the future establish a meaningful Africa-wide system for Human rights education (HRE) through partnership and co-operation with governments and non-state actors, and monitor the implementation by states of their obligation to educate in human rights, through the state reporting procedure and its special mandates.[32]
After mentioning definitional and conceptual issues, it reviewed international human rights instruments of relevance to HRE, presented an overview of HRE in Africa in general, before carefully analysing all the structures and bodies involved with HRE in South Africa: the South African government; the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC); and a wide variety of non-state actors such as NGOs
Summary
The enjoyment of human rights largely depends on the level of awareness of what these rights are and how to enforce them. There have been several programmes and plans of action aimed at HRE at international level, but 20 years after the advent of a new democratic and constitutional dispensation in South Africa, the level of public awareness in the country is still, inadequate. It is against this background that the roles and responsibilities of the main role players in HRE in South Africa are discussed and, where possible, assessed.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
