Journalists, Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, and Government at all levels must collaborate, protect, and uphold human rights by abiding by the ethics guiding their duties and operations to Nigerians and humanity.
These were the submissions of stakeholders at a one-day workshop for Journalists and Civil Society Organisations, CSOs to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UDHR organized by the Human Rights Journalists Network Nigeria, HRJN and the United Nations Information Centre, UNIC in Lagos State.
International Partners
Senior Human Rights Adviser, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Adwoa Kufuor-Owusu, who led the opening session titled: ”Understanding UDHR: The History and Significance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Key Articles and Principles” tasked governments with evolving with the rest the world by amending existing laws that uphold human rights to reflect the current global realities such as the emergence of artificial intelligence also known as AI.
Kufuor-Owusu, who was represented at the one-day workshop by Esther Balami, a Human Rights Officer, also advocated constant training for stakeholders on the principles and articles of the UDHR to avoid violations of people during the discharge of their duties.
“Let us continue to build our capacity and know more about human rights. So the more knowledge we have about human rights, the more we can better protect and promote human rights and not violate the rights of people” she said.
Facilitators and Resource Persons
Executive Director, Media Development Network and Board Member, HRJN, Lekan Otufodunrin delivered a paper on the Role of Journalists in Promoting Human Rights Ethical Considerations, Challenges, Case Studies, and Best Practices, where he underscored the importance of ethics in the reportage and advocacy of human rights stories.
Otufodunrin also highlighted Editorial Independence, Accuracy and Fairness, Privacy, Privilege and Non-Disclosure, Discrimination, Public Interest, Social Responsibility, Plagiarism, and Copyrights as some key areas where Journalists as stakeholders in the fight against the violation of human rights must consider in their reportage.
Also, the Co-Founder of Digital Rights Lawyers Initiative, Solomon Okedara, who looked at the topic of Strategic Litigation on Human Rights, reeled credible platforms where stakeholders can gather data when working on human rights cases. He emphasised that technology can play vital roles such as Data Gathering, Cleaning, and Utilisation, Amplifying Voices, Tracking Impact and Changes, Leverage of Open Resources.
A Civic Technologist, Award Winning Project Manager, and Certified Lead Auditor, John Eromosele, took participants on a session of Using (Open) Data to document and advocate for Human Rights, which he said can go a long way in seeking redress for the violation of rights under the laws and principles that exist for the protection of human rights.
Earlier, in his welcome address, Executive Director of HRJN, Kehinde Adegboyega, explained that the one-day workshop was organised against the backdrop of Human Rights Day, which is commemorated around the world on the tenth of December every year.
”We at HRJN realised that there is a gap and that journalists need to understand issues around human rights before they can report on it, and that is the gap we are filling. Journalists need to be informed, educated, and empowered. When they have this knowledge, they won’t abuse human rights in the line of discharging their duties” he said.
Participants
Online Journalist, Zainab Oyedeji, said the workshop was able to better explain the various fundamental human rights in clear terms and this will aid her reportage on the matter going forward.
Another journalist, Temitope described the workshop as an eye-opener that will further boost her performance as she will be discharging her duties from an informed position.
” I was not aware that I have certain rights like the article twenty-four of the UDRH which talks about the right to rest and leisure” she noted.
Software Developer and Volunteer with HRJN, God’sTime Agho stressed the need for the government to be held accountable for the protection and promotion of citizens’ rights in line with global best practices.
Peculiar Showale of Paradigm Initiative harped on the need for collaboration between all key stakeholders if the intended progress is to be made on the promotion of human rights in Nigeria.
Blacktalker reports that the tenth of December,2023 marks the seventy-fifth anniversary of one of the world’s most groundbreaking global pledges: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights also known as (UDHR). This landmark document enshrines the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being – regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinions, national or social origin, property, birth, or other statuses.
The Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on the tenth of December 1948 and set out for the first time as fundamental human rights to be universally protected.
The 2023 Theme for the UDHR Celebration is Freedom, Equality, and Justice for All.
