A leading Australian barrister and human rights advocate is set to visit Charles Darwin University to launch the Northern Territory Committee on Human Rights Education (NTCHRE).
Julian Burnside QC will be in Darwin next week to present the committee’s inaugural lecture entitled “Who’s afraid of human rights?”
Northern Territory president and human rights law academic at CDU, Jeswynn Yogaratnam said that following the mandate from the National Committee on Human Rights Education, NTCHRE would adopt the Citizen for Humanity Project.
“This Project is a nationwide Australian initiative aimed at increasing public awareness of human rights and appreciation of the diversities amongst our communities,” he said.
“A convergence of state programs, the Citizen of Humanity Project shares knowledge and tools to promote awareness of the existence and content of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“NTCHRE intends to support this cause through various community engagement projects which include working with schools in the NT, assisting with improving and enhancing Human Rights Education within the curriculum, keeping the public informed through seminars and public lectures, and initiating a movement for a Charter of Rights in the NT.”
Known for his staunch opposition to the mandatory detention of asylum seekers, Mr Burnside has provided legal counsel in a wide array of high-profile cases.
The Northern Territory Committee for Human Rights Education was constituted on 28 March 2011 and will function under the auspices of the National Committee on Human Rights Education which was established in 1999 in response to the UN Decade on Human Rights Education.
Mr Burnside’s lecture will be held on Monday, 18 April from 6.15pm at lecture theatre Blue 5, CDU’s Casuarina campus. The lecture is free and open to the public.