Buraku Liberation News, September 1997 issue (N0.98)
1. We would Accelerate Our Commitment Seeking the Establishment of a Human Rights Culture by Utilizing a National Plan of Action for the UN Decade for Human Rights Education.
By Kenzo Tomonaga
Director of the BLRI
The Headquarters for the Promotion of the UN Decade for Human Rights Education (a secretariat : Office of the Cabinet Secretariat ) released on July 4 a National Plan of Action for the Decade. This is the reinforced version of an interim National Plan of Action released on December 6 in 1996. The headquarters asked various sectors to submit opinions to them to complement the interim plan.
According to them, they received opinions from eleven organizations, including the Buraku Liberation Research Institute. We welcome having our opinions reflected to some degree in the national plan of action.
The national plan consists of five chapters, including basic ideas, promotion of human rights education at all levels and in all strata of society, commitment to important subjects, promotion of international cooperation, and promotion of the plan.
In the preamble, it says that the plan of action was discussed after the headquarters was organized, chaired by the Prime Minister, in response to the resolution for the Decade adopted by the UN General assembly.
In the first chapter where basic ideas are stated, the background of human rights education in the context of the world situation and the significance of promoting human rights education in Japan are addressed as well as basic aims of the Decade.
In the second chapter, it proposes to promote human rights education not only in schools and civil society but also in corporations and among professionals, including staff of the Prosecutor's Office, teachers, police, and the press.
In the third chapter where important subjects are addressed, human rights of women, children, the aged, people with disability, Dowa related people, Ainu people, foreign residents, persons with HIV infection, and persons released from prison, are especially emphasized.
In the fourth chapter, it addresses plans to contribute to several initiatives by the UN, and cooperation with developing countries in the field of human rights education, in addition to a plan to hold an international human rights symposium.
In the last chapter, it states that the headquarters respects the roles to be played by local governments and NGOs. It states that the results of the on-going discussion of the Council, created in accordance with the Law for the Promotion of Measures of Human Rights Protection, will be reflected in the implementation of the plan. In addition, it states that all the plans will be reviewed in the process of the implementation.
According to the headquarters, Japan is the third country to have released the national plan of action, following the Philippines and Indonesia.
When the writer visited the UN Center for Human Rights, based in Geneva, in March this year, a staff member assigned to the Decade told us that there were so far three countries, including Japan, Norway and Sudan, whose government set up promotion headquarters for the Decade.
In June 1995, the ruling coalition's Project Team on Human Rights and Discrimination Problems released its interim report, proposing active commitment to the Decade. We appreciate that their proposal has gradually been put into practice, thanks to the efforts of many people.
However, subjects remain yet to be tackled in order to "establish a culture of human rights in every corner of society." While we make use of this national plan of action, we should keep in mind the following subjects.
---We must request that the government disseminate information on the national plan to general public. The plan should be printed not only in Japanese but also English, Korean, and other languages, as well as printed in braille, and recorded using audio equipment.
---We must request that the government establish a system for the implementation of the plan as well as securing the budget. Also, we must request ministries and agencies concerned to observe the instruction stipulated in the national plan that ministries and agencies should fully keep in mind the aim of the plan during its implementation.
---Facing the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration for Human Rights in 1998, we must push the government to sponsor meaningful events, such as international conferences, aimed to internationally promote human rights education from Japan.
---We must urge not only national government but also local governments, universities, mass media and corporations to create headquarters to make their own plan of action.
---We must request the prompt enactment of laws for human rights education and human rights enlightenment as well as laws for relief measures for victims of human rights violations, as concrete measures stipulated in the Law for the Promotion of Measures of Human Rights Protection.