Preventing Torture An Operational Guide for National Human Rights Institutions - Updated Edition Awareness-raising activities usually have more impact when they are conducted in partnership with others, in particular with civil society, community leaders or other relevant groups. The media are also a crucial partner. Networking and close consultation with these different partners is an important component of any successful public awareness programme. NHRIs should apply a gender and intersectional lens to, and promote gender equality through, all stages of awareness raising programmes120. In addition, specialized public education activities might be needed to address specific and pressing gender issues in relation to torture prevention, for example know your rights programmes for women prisoners or targeted community outreach for people at risk of gender-based violence. It is important to remember that bringing about attitudinal and behavioral change is a challenging task which requires more than campaigns and workshops. Most of an NHRI’s core activities will have an educational component which should be recognized and utilized. For example, an NHRI’s detention monitoring activities or a public inquiry into torture and ill-treatment will seek to change attitudes and bring about action to prevent of torture in the future. Broadly speaking, there are three groups to whom public education on torture prevention may be directed: rights holders, duty bearers and influencers. This chapter looks at programmes and campaigns aimed at rights holders, in particular people most at risk of torture and ill-treatment, and influencers, including the media and opinion leaders. Chapter 6 focuses on training of public officials (duty bearers). 1. Public education It is obvious that people need to understand what rights they have in order to ensure that those rights are respected by the authorities. However, those who are most vulnerable to torture and ill treatment – for instance, people who are living in poverty, who have a lower level of education or belong to at risk groups such as women, foreign nationals, indigenous persons and other minority groups – are also often those who are least likely to have a proper understanding of their rights. There is a clear need to ensure that people of all backgrounds know their rights. When people are aware of the obligations that the Government and other authorities have to them, and when those obligations are not met, they can be held to account. When planning a public education programme, NHRIs should define a specific objective and the group or groups they intend to reach. For example, a targeted campaign might have a goal of helping homeless young people know and exercise their rights if they are arrested by the police. These education initiatives are generally most effective when they are conducted in partnership with others working in the field. Therefore, NHRIs should consider building networks with a wide range of groups and professionals, such as social workers, charity organizations, human rights NGOs or professional associations of doctors and lawyers. Once the objective for the education programme has been defined, the next step is to consider the best way to communicate with the target group. This will obviously vary considerably, depending on the group. There are a range of educational methods available and the NHRI will need to choose the approach most appropriate for the context, participants, and defined purpose.121 Human rights 124 120 Human Rights Education: A Manual for National Human Rights Institutions; APF; revised 2019, Chapter 9: Human rights education and gender”. 121 For example, the “Multi-level approach to human rights education” identifies six ways of conducting human rights education activities and has been developed for NHRIs’ to meet multiple situations, needs, strengths and outcomes. Educational frameworks such as the human rights-based approach, the “4-A” framework and the Learning Pyramid – can be used as guides for strengthening the approach. See APF, Human Rights Education: A Manual for National Human Rights Institutions (revised 2019).