2. the national human rights institution mandate HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION AND RESEARCH THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE OF SENEGAL EXPERIENCES WITH HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION The Human Rights Committee of Senegal is involved in a project to address the ­reproductive health of adolescents, including the scourge of sexual violence in schools. This project is managed by the Ministry of Education with the Human Rights Committee being responsible for the human rights aspects, including issues of reproductive rights. As part of this project, separate guides/manuals have been prepared for trainers, teachers and pupils, and so far the administrative staff of 14 schools has been trained. As part of the project, a group of teachers and pupils will be trained to sensitize all the pupils at the said schools and to prevent and manage eventual cases of sexual violence and abuse. The overall ­purpose is to promote gender equality and make the new generation aware of the issues of sexual health, gender, human rights and the negative consequences of sexual violence and abuse. According to the Paris Principles, NHRIs should assist in formulating programmes for the teaching of, and research into human rights, and take part in the execution of such programmes in schools, universities and professional circles. Adolescents are among the most vulnerable groups with regard to reproductive rights and the behavioural changes that are necessary to secure reproductive rights for all must start with children and adolescents. Many other groups are also important for the protection and promotion of reproductive rights. Consequently, a NHRI has several opportunities within teaching and research to further reproductive rights: 1. It is universally acknowledged that human rights education should start in school. Such education should be age appropriate and at a suitable time, and include issues relating to reproductive rights. It should not only focus on the entitlements to health services but also on the responsibilities of each person, irrespective of gender, to respect the reproductive rights of others. With its connection to sexuality and the familiar conflict with certain cultural and traditional practices, reproductive rights are among the more controversial human rights to teach but that does not mean that NHRIs should refrain from pushing for the inclusion of reproductive rights in human rights education in schools. A NHRI involved in providing reproductive rights education to children should consider ways to reach children not in school, e.g. by working with institutions and organizations targeting street children and other children excluded from the education system, as such children often engage earlier in sexual 65