DIU Law Department observes Int’l Human Rights day
The Department of Law, Daffodil International University (DIU) celebrated the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 2018, at the 71 Milonayoton of its campus. The day-long program was inaugurated by Professor Dr. Mizanur Rahman, Former Chairman, National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh in the presence of Professor Dr. Yousuf Mahbubul Islam, Vice Chancellor, DIU. Also in attendance were Professor Dr. A. M.M. Hamidur Rahman, Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and Professor Dr. Farhana Helal Mehtab, Associate Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of DIU. United Nations Information Centre was the Knowledge Partner of this event and distributed documents on human rights among the attendees.
Professor Dr. FarhanaHelalMehtab inaugurated the event by outlining the proceedings of the day for the distinguished guests. Her speech was followed by a show debate on the topic –Agamir Bishwa Hobey Manobotar Bishwa(আগামীরবিশ্বহবেমানবতারবিশ্ব). Afterwards, the honorable guests delivered their valuable speeches for the students. Professor Dr. Yousuf Mahbubul Islam delivered a short presentation where he urged the students to ensure their rights and the rights of others as human beings. He emphasised upon the need for the students to be inquisitive and reiterated that as humans, the first right that we have is the right to ask questions. Dr. Islam pronounced that the best thing an individual can do is to be a good human being and utilise the human brain, a gift of God, to make a difference in the world.
In his speech, Professor Dr. Mizanur Rahman warned the students to understand human rights in the proper light and not to confuse it with benevolence and charity. Commenting that the history of Bangladesh is intricately connected with the human rights jurisprudence, Dr. Rahman reminded everyone that our proclamation of independence, which paved the way for our liberation war, contained the holy ideals of equality, human dignity and social justice. He opined that the sum total of these three ideals is human rights. In conclusion, he appreciated the efforts of the students of DIU for promoting andupholding human rights through their multifarious activities.
In the second part of the day-long program, the students of the Human Rights Law Course of DIU showcased their on-field works with the people ofthe Third Gender, Floating Life Communities, Old Home Centers,Slum Children, etc. and their experiences of conducting human rights law classes in their primary schools through poster presentations and video documentaries.Professor Dr. Father Patrick Gaffney CSC, Vice Chancellor, Notre Dame University Bangladesh (NDUB) and Dr. Brother Leo James Pereira CSC, Controller of Examinations, NDUB, graced this session as the honorable guests.
During the closing session, Father Patrick Gaffney CSC gave a brief historical background of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights coming into force.Hehighlighted the horrors of the two world wars and the various atrocities and violations of human rights during those times that led to the adoption of the UDHR later in 1948. Furthermore, he handed over prizes to the winners of different competitions held previously among the law students.
Towards the end, Mr. Md. Riaduzzaman, Head, Department of Law, DIU, delivered the vote of thanks to all the attendees of the event and ended the proceedings of the day.
Ali Mashraf is a contributor of Law & Our Rights, the Daily Star