CHAIRMAN’S REVIEW Even today, human rights discussions in some regions including ours, still seem to focus on the narrow question of the relationship between local culture, customs or values and universal human rights. Many governments have consequently resisted observing international norms which they argue as contradicting local traditions and religion, despite the notion of the universality of human rights being morally undeniable. This can send a wrong message for the younger generation, who are as it is not fully aware of the benefits of human rights because they have not been taught so in schools. SUHAKAM this year continued to have discussions, talks and activities with university and college students. These dialogue sessions revealed an overall interest in the topic of human rights; a subject that although not included in school curriculum, is becoming more recognised as an essential subject to be introduced at least in primary schools. As it stands, non-formal education remains the only context in which human rights education can be learnt by our younger generation. Youths must understand equality and non-discrimination as well as know their rights, to understand both how they should be treated, and how they should treat others. Knowing about and understanding rights and responsibilities, appreciating what they are, and learning how they have been fought for are important fundamentals in the preparation of all children for a life in a democratic and diverse society. Studies have found that teaching children about their human rights reduced bullying, truancy and exclusions, improved relations with teachers and created a healthier atmosphere for learning. Yet, within our education system, human rights and the rights enshrined in Part II of our Federal Constitution are not taught in schools, as it is considered by some to be in line with secularism, or that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a Western-biased document which fails to account for the cultural norms and values which exist in Malaysia, or an attempt to impose Western values on Malaysians. Consequently, there is an obvious lack of understanding of the Federal Constitution and the rights contained in it among Malaysians. SUHAKAM will try to bridge this gap. As human rights education is integral to every child’s right to a quality education, and in line with the UN World Programme for Human Rights Education, SUHAKAM made human rights education in primary to tertiary levels of education one of its priorities by collaborating with the Ministry of Education in 2009 for its Human Rights Best Practices in Schools (HRBPS) Programme. This year, a further 15 schools were included in the programme, bringing it to a total of 222 participating schools. The programme which aims to integrate human rights values and principles into every aspect of school life has generated interest and produced some impressive results. Human rights education cannot be reduced to the simple introduction of human rights content in selected schools. Human rights education must be mainstreamed at the basic level of our education policies to ensure that the SUHAKAM ANNUAL REPORT 2016 5 suhakam 2new.indd 5 3/23/17 5:54 PM