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Objectives
The
Education Section aims to improve respect for civil and political,
as well as economic, social and cultural rights, law, and
democracy. The section aims to strengthen civil society and
promote the political participation of people at a grassroots
level.
Functions
The
Education Section seeks to improve the protection of human rights
in Cambodia by educating communities and authorities in what human
rights are and how they can be safeguarded. Training courses are
held to educate the community as to how to protect human rights,
research is conducted on the status of abuses in Cambodia, and
documents and periodicals are published to spread awareness of the
current situation of human rights abuses in Cambodia.
Training
Training
courses are provided for rural communities to enhance their
knowledge of important basic rights and the skill of human rights
analysis. The courses address broadly applicable topics such as
domestic violence, trafficking in children, and police brutality.
The impact that violence has on the community, possible methods of
prevention, as well as legal rights and remedies are discussed
during the training sessions. This training is essential to the
furtherance of human rights awareness and in ensuring that victims
will recognize and report human rights abuses.
In
cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior, special courses are
also conducted for high-ranking government officials and local
authorities. These workshops educate officials in proper treatment
of civilians in order to protect their basic rights. Local
government officials, including the police, play an important role
in ensuring that civil and political rights are guarded in this
democratic society.
Students
at Phnom Penh University also receive training in the protection
of human rights. The new generation of professionals emerging from
the University is integral to the strength of the human rights
movement in Cambodia. ADHOC works with the Faculty of Social
Science at the University to organize workshops regarding what
human rights are and how they can be protected by the legal
system, as well as what students can do to increase awareness
within their communities.
These
training programs are evaluated by the Education Section staff.
The quality of the instructors is monitored and the materials are
reviewed to ensure that the Education Section staff is working at
its highest capacity. Workshops
are held to improve the curriculum and to update trainers on
developments in the legal arena.
Research
and Documentation
The Education
Section of ADHOC conducts research through the collection of human
rights training documents in order to improve curricula and
methodologies of training. ADHOC staff members join with
University lecturers and advisors to work toward improving the
curricula and methods of teaching.
In
the development of new documentation in both Khmer and English,
ADHOC is assisted by the Civil Society Working Group, consisting
of NGO Forum, a coalition of Cambodian NGOs, and professors from
Phnom Penh University.
Publications
The
publications composed and distributed by the Education Section
focus on encouraging a broad understanding of human rights,
women's rights, human rights terminology, social justice, and
individual freedoms.
ADHOC’s
regular publication is called Neak
Chea Bulletin,
a magazine written in Khmer, which is published twice a month.
This publication addresses the situations of civil, political,
social, cultural, and economic rights abuses, as well as the
environment in Cambodia and other countries in the region. The aim
of the bulletin is to educate a wide audience of readers as to the
role of civilians, government officers, and NGOs in the emerging
civil law democracy in Cambodia.
ADHOC's
roundtable discussion about human rights, democracy, rule of law,
development, and social justice is shown on television every month
for 2 hours. University professors, lawyers, and leaders of NGOs
are invited as speakers or resource persons.
ADHOC
also broadcasts a radio discussion for 25 minutes every Saturday
and Sunday on two stations in Phnom Penh and three stations in the
provinces.
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