HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION AND AWARENESS Chapter - 8 8.1 The promotion of ‘Human Rights Education’ has assumed tremendous significance today. The endeavour of creating, assimilating and disseminating knowledge and awareness is a robust way of brining about an attitudinal change among the people from all walks of life especially with regard to their archaic perceptions and thoughts. During the period under review, the Commission undertook various initiatives to promote the cause of human rights education. i) Workshop on Detention 8.2 The Office of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) had earmarked 6 to 12 October 2008 as ‘Dignity and Justice for Detainees Week’. As a part of its activities, the Commission with the support of the OHCHR organized a two-day Workshop on Detention at New Delhi on 11-12 October 2008. The main objective of the Workshop was to identify gaps, if any, in implementation of constitutional and statutory safeguards for the protection of the rights of detainees and suggest remedial measures; and share best practices amongst States/Union Territories. The participants of the Workshop included Directors General of Police, Directors General of Prisons, Directors of Police Training Institutes, Secretaries of Welfare Departments, Forensic Science Laboratories, Nodal Officers of Human Rights from different States/Union Territories, senior representatives of Central and State Governments, Special Rapporteurs and senior officers of NHRC and representatives of selected NGOs. 8.3 In the two-day Workshop, a range of issues were discussed including the responsibilities of the State Governments to ensure basic human rights of detainees in police custody and in prisons, etc. The recommendations that emanated from the deliberations of the Workshop are at Annexure-12. ii) National Conference on Human Rights Education at School Level 8.4 A one-day National Conference on Human Rights Education at School Level was organized by NHRC at New Delhi on 20 March 2009. The main objectives of the conference were to : incorporate human rights education (HRE) in the existing school education system; discuss the challenges relating to human rights education in respect of curriculum and introduction of human rights education at different levels in the school system; policies and perspectives for spread of human rights education at primary, secondary and senior secondary levels; implementation and monitoring of HRE components at different levels in the school system; and deciding a future plan of action in this regard. 107