Human Rights and The Constitution

The world these days spends much of its time in campaigning against the abuse of human right or against the abusers of human rights but little or no time is spent in the efforts to educate those abused, individuals or groups of their rights and how to defend them.

Often, in Africa, we compare ourselves with those of the Western world on how human rights are protected, defended and sustained. Yet we forget to learn the fact that much resources are spent tirelessly to educate the Western infant of his constitutional and fundamental human rights even before he grows to be an adult. Why can't we emulate this?

I found it really parochial and absurd that in modern times like ours, we would spend time debating about whether or not to teach our constitution in schools. There is no other time than now to teach the African child his constitutional rights. Let the African child study the constitution as you would want him to study Biology, Chemistry, English, and Business. Let us change our curriculum and start teaching our constitution from primary School.

For only then we would be assured of a society where education and equality before the law, the

freedom of speech and of opinion would be viewed as a crucial element needed to strengthen our falling democracy pillars including their protection and defense.

The campaign against the exploitation of natural resources by exploitative multinationals and overlords who seek to dispose of the nation's property as though it were their own can never be successful if the citizens don't know their rights and how to defend them. The demand of an end to the situation where unaccountable governments and anonymous institutions make decisions affecting people's’ lives without their involvement would yield no progress when the people do not know the laws that protects them nor how the law system works in the country.

the whole credibility and value of the human rights campaign is underpinned by the participation of these concern and other actors of civil society, through their contributions of expertise and awareness-raising, their monitoring and reporting, and the mobilization of public support. The crucial step to making real progress in our campaign against human rights abuse is the enlightenment of the people about these rights. Therefore, let us resolve to teach our constitution now.