Assessing Human Rights Awareness Among University Students: A Quantitative Study

Abstract

Human rights, the fundamental freedoms and entitlements inherent to all individuals, have evolved over millennia, shaped by philosophical, religious, and legal traditions. Human rights are those minimal rights that individuals need to have against the state or public authority by virtue of their being members of the human family, irrespective of any other consideration. This study investigates the level of human rights awareness among undergraduate students at Jamia Millia Islamia University, Delhi, with particular attention to variations across gender, academic stream, and locality. Using a quantitative research design, data were collected from 150 students through the Human Rights Awareness Test (HRAT), a standardised tool developed by V. Sood and A. Anand. The results indicate that students, on average, demonstrated a moderate level of human rights awareness (M = 71.92, SD = 16.18). Gender-based analysis revealed a statistically significant difference, with male students scoring higher than female students. However, differences based on locality (rural vs. urban) and academic stream (science, commerce, and social science) were not statistically significant. These findings suggest that while students possess foundational awareness, there remains room for improvement, particularly in addressing gender disparities and integrating human rights education across all disciplines. The study highlights the importance of embedding human rights education more uniformly across university curricula and fostering inclusive learning environments that empower all students, regardless of background.