A human rights-based thinking
is important for a just and
peaceful society, said Professor
Amartya Sen yesterday. The Nobel
laureate stressed the need for
freedom and solidarity among
people for implementing human
rights. Legalisation is not
the only way to make human rights
'legal', said Sen. In case of
imperfect obligation, no rights
can be implemented through legalisation
but by advocacy and nurturing,
he said while speaking as a
guest of honour at the inaugural
session of a two-day taskforce
meeting on a Citizen's Social
Charter for South Asia. Nurturing,
advocating and monitoring human
rights belong to consequential
thinking, said Sen.
He held illiteracy and lack
of consciousness responsible
for human-rights violation in
South Asia. Organised by the
South Asia Centre for Policy
Studies (SACEPS) and the Centre
for Policy Dialogue (CPD) at
BRAC Centre Inn auditorium,
the session was addressed by,
among others, former chief advisor
to the caretaker government
Justice Habibur Rahman and Member
of the SACEPS Board of Trustees
Dr Kamal Hossain. Lack of literacy
is one of the causes of the
first-generation human-rights
violation, Sen said, with an
emphasis on higher education
to establish human rights. Comparing
different human-rights commissions
in South Asia, he said the Indian
human-rights commission has
a legally recognised form, while
the Pakistan human-rights commission
is basically an NGO (non-governmental
organisation). Some of the human-rights
declarations do not have legislation
and public recognition is important
in that case.
The famous economist said human-rights
laws incorporate political,
social and economic laws. Social
agreement in the context of
South Asia is very important
and it requires social consensus,
he added. Justice Habibur Rahman
has observed that there are
adequate laws in the South Asian
region, but most laws are unnecessary.
He stressed the importance of
social consciousness in establishing
human rights.
Dr Kamal Hossain in his speech
said the laws of the region
reflect the heritage of 50 years
of postcolonial excuse and underlined
establishment of a just society.
Pointing to the hardship during
the colonial period and achievement
of the people of the region,
he said, "We are billion
people and whatever we have
achieved is through pains."
Prof. Rehman Sobhan, executive
director of the SACEPS and chairman
of CPD, who chaired the session,
discussed the role of different
private thinktanks in upholding
human rights.
The programme is being attended
by nine representatives of South
Asian countries, including India,
Nepal, the Maldives, Sri Lanka
and Pakistan. Lawmakers, academicians,
policymakers, local business
leaders, experts from regional
and multilateral organisations
attended the inaugural session.
The meeting is aimed at finalising
the draft of the Citizen's Social
Charter for South Asia which
is being prepared by a taskforce
convened by the SACEPS, drawing
upon inputs from citizen groups
across the region. The meeting
is expected to concentrate on
the implementation and institutional
mechanisms needed to enforce
the charter. The eventual goal
of this mobilisation of citizens
will be to contribute to the
preparation of the SAARC Social
Charter and to ensure that the
provisions are made enforceable
to safeguard the social, economic
and political rights of the
deprived South Asia.
