DUSHANBE, August 28, Asia-Plus -- Teaching university students about human rights and mechanisms to protect those rights was the aim of a course co-organized by the OSCE Center in Dushanbe and the non-governmental organization Bureau on Human Rights and Rule of Law (BHR).

Aleksandr Sodiqov, Information Assistant, the OSCE Center in Dushanbe, said that twenty university students majoring in social sciences and the humanities took part in the one-week course, which ended in Varzob yesterday. Trainers from the BHR and other national and international organizations lead the sessions.

"This intensive training familiarizes young adults from Tajikistan with internationally accepted human rights concepts and treaties," said Payam Foroughi, Human Dimension Officer at the OSCE Center. "Participants also learn about global and regional human rights protection mechanisms and how to counter potential human rights violations."

Aziz Dinorshoyev, the project coordinator at the BHR, added that the course, though held for seven consecutive years, for the first time this year targeted students from faculties other than law.

"We hope that the course will help bridge the gap in the human rights awareness of these students," he said.