A two-week online short-term internship programme of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) began here on Monday. As many as 60 university-level students from diverse academic disciplines have been shortlisted from different parts of the country to participate in it. Inaugurating the programme, NHRC, India Secretary General, Mr. Bharat Lal encouraged the interns to utilise this opportunity to internalise various aspects of human rights and prepare themselves to contribute meaningfully towards protecting and promoting the human rights of all human beings.
He said that India has consistently offered refuge to persecuted communities, demonstrating the nation’s commitment to universal brotherhood and India’s ethos of empathy and compassion. The Commission leverages this internship as an opportunity to prepare young minds to face human rights-related challenges in the future. He encouraged the interns to contemplate the ideas enshrined in the Indian Constitution and the initiative taken by the legislature, judiciary, executive, and the NHRC to translate those ideals into reality.
He expressed the hope that through this exposure, the interns would gain a better understanding of human rights, and inculcate sensitivity and responsiveness towards the plight of vulnerable and marginalised sections of society.
Giving an overview of the internship programme, NHRC, India Joint Secretary, Mr Devendra Kumar Nim said that the interns will also be exposed to individual and group activities/competitions to sharpen their human rights awareness besides the sessions by the eminent speakers on various aspects of human rights. They will be taken on virtual tours to institutions such as Tihar Jail, police stations, and shelter homes to have a first-hand understanding of their work and challenges.