NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION Government of Bangladesh, and of course, for the people. More than half of those surveyed had never heard of “human rights”, with those who had heard of it much more likely to be from an urban area, male, educated or among the least poor. But when asked to identify what “human rights” means, those familiar with the term showed a fairly good understanding of them as basic rights accorded to all people from birth and relating to personal freedoms. Even so, nearly 1 out of 5 people who had heard of “human rights” could not describe what the term means. When asked which human rights people should have, most respondents recognised the right to life as the primary human right, along with key civil and political rights, such as equality and freedom from discrimination, personal freedoms and freedom of expression. There was also recognition of socio-economic rights and access to services. Those who had previously heard of human rights were also generally aware that knowing your rights is the most effective way to claim them. But another troubling statistic revealed that more than half the people surveyed were either not aware or did not believe that human rights, or at least some of them, are legally protected and enforceable in Bangladesh Since people can only claim and defend their rights when they know and understand that they can be enforced by law, the lack of understanding around legal protection of rights is problematic, and something the NHRC is committed to addressing through its countrywide awareness campaigns which began in 2011. The survey also inquired about the link between human rights and the responsibility to respect the law and the rights of others. Respondents generally were aware that rights and obligations are closely connected, particularly the duty to know and abide by the law. However, nearly a quarter to a third of survey participants did not know about this connection, indicating that public awareness campaigns must communicate that human rights create corresponding obligations. Another aspect of the survey focused on where to go for redress of a human rights violation. When asked what they would do if the government violated their rights, a wide majority of survey participants said they would take some form of individual or collective action, rather than look to someone else to protect or defend their rights. But only about one percent said they would report a violation to police, and even less would report it to a lawyer or the NHRC. The responses to the baseline survey show that the people of Bangladesh have an innate understanding of how democracy works, especially in regards to the potential impact of citizen mobilisation and articulation of concerns. Though less than half of respondents knew or had heard of the technical term “human rights”, this does not necessarily mean Bangladeshis do not understand the concept of having certain rights and being able to demand them. Instead, the responses indicated that people need to know more about other means to advocate for their rights and deal with violations. The NHRC recognizes this lack of awareness of human rights as legally enforceable and has been focusing its efforts since 2011 on enhancing rights awareness and its own role in promoting and protecting those fundamental guarantees. In analyzing the survey outcomes, the Commission has been able to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the legal and policy framework for human rights protection in the country. The NHRC also received recommendations regarding how stakeholders and other interested actors can support the Commission in its quest to improve dramatically the basic rights situation in Bangladesh. The baseline that has been established as a result of the survey will be used by the Commission as a measurement against which to evaluate the 23