Human Rights Training Session at Nansana Secondary School

Introduction and Background

On July 7th, 2024, Lex Amica held a human rights awareness and training session at Nansana Secondary School in Wakiso District, Uganda. The session was conducted in partnership with the International Society for Human Rights and was organized in response to the need for greater human rights awareness, especially among youth and school-going children. This need was necessitated by statistics highlighting a lack of understanding of human rights among this demographic. The session saw the participation of 30 students from various classes at Nansana Secondary School.

The training session was led by a three-person team from Lex Amica: Nuwe Ahereza Marvin, Umar Trife Wamboze, and Harry Mwesigwa. The session was designed to be interactive, allowing for contributions and feedback from both the trainers and the students, all guided by a comprehensive human rights training manual.

Speakers’ Presentations

The first speaker, Nuwe Ahereza Marvin, introduced the topic of human rights and discussed their essential role in society. He emphasized that human rights are inherent to all individuals and are not granted by the state. He explained that human rights are interdependent, meaning each right supports the realization of others. Marvin provided examples of various human rights and concluded his presentation by highlighting the importance of the knowledge shared during the session. He urged the students to foster unity, act as human rights watchdogs in their communities and school environment, and organize themselves into a human rights club to educate peers and continue discussions on these vital topics.

Nuwe Marvin Ahereza

The second speaker, Umar Trife Wamboze, focused on children's rights, elaborating on their significance as human rights and explaining the special status given to children as vulnerable individuals in need of greater protection. He explained why children might have more rights than adults, due to their vulnerability and unique needs. Wamboze provided examples of children’s rights and discussed their corresponding responsibilities. He also distinguished between rights and responsibilities and covered the domestic laws and international legal instruments that protect children's rights.

Umar Trife Wamboze

The third speaker, Harry Mwesigwa, focused on who is responsible for protecting children's rights, as well as the various forms of child rights abuses and violations. These include child labor, neglect, defilement, domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, early marriage, and denial of education. He also discussed how children can protect themselves from abuse and violations and how they can support one another in safeguarding and enforcing their rights.

Harry Mwesigwa

Outcomes

Before the session began, the students expressed various expectations, primarily centered on understanding their human rights, children's rights, the roles of those responsible for protecting these rights, and how to defend their rights. The session concluded with a lively question-and-answer segment, where students shared what they had learned. The responses were impressive and showed a deep and broader understanding of human rights and the contexts in which these rights are protected and enforced. The students expressed their gratitude for the knowledge gained and committed to sharing it with their peers who were unable to attend. They further pledged to form a human rights club to continue discussions and promote awareness among their fellow students.

Conclusion

In conclusion, despite some challenges in executing the session—such as skepticism among school authorities about the impact of human rights education and negative stereotypes from other schools' administrators who viewed human rights as a "Western concept" that could potentially disrupt traditional African child-rearing and education methods—the training session was a great success. It represented a significant step towards increasing human rights awareness among school-going children and the communities they live and study in.

Human Rights Education

Special thanks are extended to the team at Lex Amica, the International Society for Human Rights, and the administration of Nansana Secondary School for making this session possible.

Nuwe Ahereza Marvin