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Asia-Pacific Newsletter of the Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center (HURIGHTS OSAKA) December 2016 Vol

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Asia-Pacific Newsletter of the Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center (HURIGHTS OSAKA) December 2016 Vol FOCUS Focus Asia-Pacific Newsletter of the Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center (HURIGHTS OSAKA) December 2016 Vol. 86 Contents Editorial Challenges to Human Rights Education This is a discussion of the current challenges that human rights educators in the region need to focus on. Promoting Human Rights - Jefferson R. Plantilla Page 2 We still hear people expressing reservation on the idea of human Human Rights Education: The Need for rights. We encounter people looking at human rights as a threat Networking to a state of orderliness in the family, at school and in society as This is a report on a network meeting among tertiary and higher level educators a whole. from Northeast and Southeast Asia. - Sriprapha Petcharamesree But of more concern is the continuing reluctance of Page 7 governments to fully support the fulfillment of state obligation to promote human rights according to international agreements. GCED and Human Rights Education This is a discussion of the initiatives promoting the latest United Nations Many educators believe that this reality is precisely what they educational agenda on global citizenship. need to face. They know that practical understanding of human - HURIGHTS OSAKA rights has a better chance of being transformed into action at the Page 10 personal, institutional and societal levels. Osaka City Ordinance Against Hate Speech This is a short introduction of the main Human rights education initiatives geared at addressing concrete features of Osaka city ordinance against issues consequently demystify human rights. Many of these hate speech. initiatives advocate the establishment of mechanisms not only - HURIGHTS OSAKA for educational purposes but more importantly for the Page 13 application of human rights in real situations, that is, the HURIGHTS OSAKA Publications 2016 resolution of human rights issues. This is a listing of the contents of the 2016 publications of HURIGHTS OSAKA. People appreciate human rights when they see them serving Page 15 their needs and aspirations, and also when human rights protect them from serious harm or injustice. 1 FOCUS ASIA-PACIFC DECEMBER 2016 VOLUME 86 Challenges to Human Rights Education Jefferson R. Plantilla n December 2015 a female declared subscription to Dentsu’s website explains its Iemployee jumped off the roof corporate social responsibility “Respect for Human Rights” of her company dormitory. She (CSR). With the introduction of policy: was young, a graduate of a the Ruggie Principles,5 many prestigious state university, and Japanese companies are now We at Dentsu also consider that employed in the biggest supposed to be giving more the thorough prevention of advertising company in Japan. attention to human rights, harassment and protection of Her death was subsequently especially for the member- employees' human rights are declared a karoshi, or death due companies of the Global important themes to address to to overwork. Compact Network Japan. ensure employees can fully exercise their capabilities. Months before she died, she The company where the young tweeted that she had been given female employee worked was It has a Code of Conduct that more work that forced her to stay praised in a 2014 survey of states in part: “We will ensure overnight for several days. She J a p a n e s e c o m p a n i e s ’ that our work places are safe wrote on social media: “It is subscription to CSR by citing its and create a civilised working 7 already 4 a.m. now, and my “labs” initiative:6 environment.” body is trembling… I am dying. It It implements human rights is too much. I am exhausted.”1 In Advertising and public-relations awareness training programs another tweet in November giant Dentsu promotes that are “run in a systematic 2015 she wrote: “I’m on duty employee initiative through manner based on both the again Saturday-Sunday. I just “labs”—small groups of employees' hierarchy and want to die.” The report states that employees from different occupational fields,” and has an by “December [2015] she was sections of the company, “internal reporting and proposal getting only two hours of sleep a whose joint activities are system Compliance Line put in day.”2 recognized as part of the employees’ jobs. These labs, place in fiscal 2012 in order to Company flap gate records made up of people who are prevent in-house actions that showed that for several days she professionals at expressing and violate laws and other 8 was in the company premises delivering messages, can turn regulations.” till the early morning.3 an issue like human rights into But the Japanese media report something with a different sort several instances of warning A report states that “labor of potential. Dentsu, while being issued to Dentsu by the standards inspection offices nurturing the sort of thinking government’s labor bureau for around the country recognized and posture that form the bad working conditions of its in fiscal 2015 that 93 suicides foundation of moves to create a workers including requiring or attempted suicides resulted society embodying diversity, 4 excessive overwork.9 from overwork.” Karoshi has also achieved solid remains a major issue of integration of these efforts with What went wrong? Why has Japanese companies. its own business operations. overwork, a longstanding Dentsu’s lab activities, which problem in Japanese workplace, CSR at Work? attract individuals and have the remained part of the system? Is potential to change society, A significant number of big this part of the corporate culture offer a new model of of maximizing the use of labor Japanese companies have organization. 2 FOCUS ASIA-PACIFIC DECEMBER 2016 VOLUME 86 to gain profit? As one report On the other hand, companies human rights promotion. The states:10 that have either enrolled in the 1993 World Conference on UN-sponsored Global Compact Human Rights seemed to have Dentsu’s taxing regime has and other UN human rights- p u s h e d s e v e r a l A s i a n persisted since the lean years related initiatives on women governments to act on human just after World War II, when and children or have publicly rights education. The UN then-company President Hideo declared their respect for Decade for Human Rights Yoshida, dubbed the “demon of human rights are expected to Education (1995-2004) triggered advertising,” devised his “10 fulfill their commitments. interest from governments on rules of work.” Japanese companies have issued the issue. declarations that were made on At the top of the list: “Create their commitment to uphold All these benefited the non- work for yourself; don’t wait for human rights in their business governmental institutions work to be assigned to you.” operations. They likewise issued involved in human rights Another says, “Never give up, reports on their compliance education. Their effort was given even if you might be killed.” with their human rights recognition by governments, commitment.11 and also subsequently by the Commitment to Human Rights national human rights Education The Dentsu karoshi case raises institutions. The UN initiatives the question of corporate became the foundation of The Dentsu karoshi case commitment to human rights. It c o o p e r a t i o n a m o n g illustrates the challenges facing raises questions about the extent governments, non-governmental human rights education in by which human rights institutions and national human relation to institutions that are commitment has changed rights institutions on human either obliged or expected to corporate culture, and the rights education. engage in human rights effectiveness of interventions in promotion. changing the mindset of the But many other initiatives have corporate officials regarding been launched in forms that On one hand, States, through issues that affect human rights may not be seen as human their governments, are obliged such as conditions of work. rights education. to promote human rights by mere membership in the United To a large extent, the main World Programme for Human Nations. They have repeatedly q u e s t i o n i s o n t h e Rights Education declared their support for implementation of declarations human rights education and, and commitments made by both Compared to the UN Decade under several UN instruments, state and corporate institutions. for Human Rights Education committed to implement (1995-2004), interest and national human rights education Human Rights Education: A support in Asia-Pacific for the programs. Broader Perspective12 UN World Programme for Human Rights Education is low. There have been formal State Human rights education has Is this a sign of declined interest responses such as enactment of never been the exclusive on human rights education in laws and adoption of domain of governments or the Asia-Pacific? educational policies and public educational institutions. programs on human rights It has been the main work of Several issues can be cited as to education that support the UN many non-governmental why many Asia-Pacific initiatives. But there have also institutions. institutions are not using been reports of weak WPHRE as a major platform for implementation of these laws The UN initiatives on human their human rights education and policies especially in the rights education starting with programs (unlike the situation formal education system. A 1982 Asian workshop in for the UN Decade for Human good case is Japan. Colombo created pressure on Rights Education): governments in Asia to work on 3 FOCUS ASIA-PACIFC DECEMBER 2016 VOLUME 86 • The implementation of the There are also new areas of Local Governments WPHRE has largely been top interest that support human down, with very little effort to rights education concerning Local governments in a number consult and mobilize groups business and human rights, and of countries have adopted involved in human rights local governments.
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