Human Rights Protection – JSS3 Social & Citizenship Studies Lesson Note (Second Term)

Human rights protection is the set of laws, institutions and actions that make sure nobody, including the government, can take away a person’s basic rights.

Behavioural objectives

1. Define human rights protection.
2. State four strategies for protecting human rights.
3. Name four national bodies and laws that protect human rights in Nigeria.
4. Name three international bodies or agreements that protect human rights.
5. Describe ways a student can protect their own rights and the rights of others.

Why do rights need protecting?

Rights need protecting because having a right is different from being able to enjoy it.

• The fence idea: a farmer builds a fence to keep goats away from his crops, and rights need “fences” too.
• Who can threaten rights: bullies, powerful people, officials and sometimes the government itself.
• Examples of abuse: cruel treatment, seizing property without cause, and stopping people from speaking the truth.

What are the strategies for protecting human rights?

There are four main strategies: education, protest, legal action and media publicity.

• Education: you cannot defend a right you do not know you have, so knowing the law is your first shield.
• Peaceful protest: marching or speaking out in an orderly way when something is wrong.
• Legal action: taking a case to court when someone violates your rights.
• Media publicity: using newspapers, radio, TV or social media to tell people about an injustice.

How are human rights protected in Nigeria?

Nigeria protects human rights through the National Framework, made up of the Constitution, the courts, government bodies and civil society groups.

1. The 1999 Constitution (Chapter 4)

• Main protection: Chapter 4 lists the Fundamental Human Rights of every citizen.
• Supremacy: any law that goes against the Constitution is void to the extent that it does so.
• Enforcement: the courts can declare such a law invalid.

Examples of rights in Chapter 4:

• Right to life: nobody may be killed unlawfully.
• Right to dignity of the human person: no torture or inhuman treatment.
• Right to personal liberty: nobody may be locked up without lawful reason.
• Right to fair hearing: everyone gets a fair trial.
• Freedom of expression and the press: you may share ideas and information.
• Freedom of peaceful assembly: you may gather peacefully with others.
• Freedom from discrimination: nobody may be treated unfairly because of ethnic group, sex, religion or place of origin.

2. The Judiciary (the courts)

• Role: the court is called the “Hope of the Common Man”.
• What you can do: if a powerful person or an official treats you unfairly, you can take the matter to court.
• The judge: the judge must be neutral and make sure justice is done.

3. National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)

• What it is: a government body set up to watch over human rights in Nigeria.
• What it does: it receives complaints and investigates abuses.
• How to use it: write a petition to the Commission, which does not charge for complaints.

4. Other government agencies

• Legal Aid Council of Nigeria: provides free legal help to people who cannot pay a lawyer.
• Public Complaints Commission: hears complaints about unfair treatment by public officials and offices.

5. NGOs and civil society

• What they are: groups run by citizens, not by the government.
• Examples: SERAP (Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project) and local legal aid clinics.
• What they do: defend people who cannot afford lawyers and speak out against abuse.

How are human rights protected internationally?

International protection is the system of agreements and organisations through which countries watch over each other’s treatment of human rights.

• Why it is needed: sometimes a country’s own government is the one abusing its citizens.

1. The United Nations (UN)

• UDHR: in 1948 the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• What it is: a list of basic rights that member countries are expected to respect.

2. The African Union (AU)

• African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights: an agreement that protects the rights of people in Africa.
• Nigeria: it is one of the countries that accepted the Charter.

3. International NGOs

• Examples: Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
• What they do: they report abuses in any country.
• Effect: public attention puts pressure on leaders to do the right thing.

How can you protect your rights and the rights of others?

Protection starts with you, not only with the UN in New York or the High Court in Abuja.

• Be bold: speak up if someone is bullying you or taking your property, because silence often encourages the abuser.
• Report abuses: tell a trusted adult, a teacher or a human rights officer.
• Use technology: a short phone video can show an abuse and bring help quickly.
• Support others: standing up for classmates makes the whole school safer.
• Respect others: do not take away another person’s rights yourself.

Remember: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (Martin Luther King Jr.). If the rights of the weakest person are not protected, nobody’s rights are safe.

Who protects human rights at each level?

Rights are protected at three levels: personal, national and international.

Evaluation

1. Why is it important to have international protection for human rights?
2. What is the full meaning of NHRC?
3. Mention one way the Nigerian Constitution protects you.
4. If a student is being treated unfairly by a local authority, name two places they can go for help.
5. State four strategies for protecting human rights.

Assignment

Choose one national body and one international body that protect human rights. Write three lines on each, saying what it is and how it helps a citizen.