Cameroon’s National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms, October 7 launched the human rights promotion and protection sensitisation campaign that targets pasting 24, 000 stickers in at least 10,000 vehicles and 1000 public buildings between this October and December 2010.
The campaign that started yesterday for the Centre Region at the Mbankomo toll gate, will be carried out in areas such as hospitals, detention centres, universities, travel agencies, ministries and public buildings, Council offices, Divisional Offices, toll gates and supermarkets. It is taking place under the theme, “Know your rights, make a difference”.
Speaking during the launching ceremony in Yaounde, the Head of the Division for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights at the National Commission, Eva Etongue said the stickers with the eight human rights themes will be handed out to individuals and pasted on vehicles and public buildings. The themes include HIV/AIDS, torture, corruption especially in the judiciary, education, persons with disabilities, human dignity, rights of women and rights of detainees. The campaign has as direct beneficiaries; detainees, persons with disabilities, women, children and persons living with HIV/AIDS and the general public. The member of the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms, Ondoua Abah, who chaired the launching ceremony on behalf of the Chairman, Dr Divine Chemuta Banda, said, “ a change to uphold human rights can only be realised once ignorance is replaced by knowledge through the respect of human rights and the recognition of the inherent rights of vulnerable persons”. The ongoing sensitisation campaign through stickers, he said, will not only educate the public on their rights but also inform them on how they can individually and collectively contribute in the fight against inequality, injustice and unfairness in the society. By organising the campaign which is the first of its kind, the Commission intends to create awareness on human rights, ensure a good visibility of the Commission and its activities, encourage the target population to actively participate in the fight against discrimination, facilitate the understanding of basic human rights themes by the population and to ensure the respect of the rights of vulnerable persons. Officials of the various branches of the Commission will carry out the campaign, while members of civil society organisations working on human rights issues will lead the campaign in Regions where the Commission has no branches.
