Babel Workshop: Press Clipping
(August 14, 2005)

The Iraq Foundation in collaboration with the Amman Center for Human Rights Studies conducted a training in Amman, Jordan on Human Rights Education. The training that was attended by 21 Iraqi human rights activists, lawyers, and NGO representatives span for 10 days and focused on content as well as methodology. The trainees who were trained as master trainers will each conduct two training workshops in their cities and governorates thus reaching about 700 Iraqis from all sectors.

Translation:

Al-Mada Newspaper, Issue No. 463, August 14th, 2005, page 6.

“Human Rights Education Workshop in Babel: Iraqis Need to Know their Rights and the Rights of Others”

By Ali Al-Maleki – Babel

Human Rights Organizations in different regions in Iraq continue its activities that aim to spread a culture of human rights education. Attorney Salah Muhsin Salal the head of the Babel Human Rights Watch organization that the organization conducted a workshop in Babel (Babylon) in collaboration with the Iraq Foundation on 5th August 2005 in order to spread this type of education among members of the civil society organizations in this region.

The agenda for the three-day workshop included basic human rights concepts and principles, review of international agreements and conventions such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention to end all types of discrimination against women (CEDAW) and others. The participants were very pleased with the session, Mrs. Suad Matar Arak described it as very good and very specific that will definitely help create advocates of human rights out of the participants. While participant Saba Hadi Rashad commented the following: “We Iraqis need this kind of education courses so that we can better defend our rights and the rights of others. We only hear about human rights but the Iraqi citizen does not enjoy his basic rights and we cannot say that we that we are exercising our rights. This kind of education will pave the way for the implementation for such rights. I think that such education should not be limited to one segment of the society but in fact should be more inclusive”.

Sheikh Hadi Al-Ajrash said: “We haven’t heard of such talk before, this will definitely lead us to good results so that man ceases to oppress his brother”. Attorney Hamid Jaddou’ Kraidi said: “Talking about human rights is very enjoyable but in reality there is a huge gap between what is written on paper and what is being practiced in real life. Most countries that call for human rights are the most that violate them, however, this course is good and new in the field”.

As for Mr. Hadier Jasim the participant from the Hilla Chamber of Commerce his views were: “the basic principles of human rights are not new, they are listed in the principles of Islam, but the succession of oppressive and unjust authorities in ruling the country led to the absence of such rights. Thus, it is important, in fact it is imperative for us to be involved in spreading the culture of human rights as we enter an important era of our society’s development”.