This Manual has been elaborated by the European Training and Research Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (ETC) in Graz, originally for the Human Security Network (HSN) at the initiative of the Austrian Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Its objective is to assist human rights education efforts worldwide. Its thematic modules on selected human rights issues cover topics like the prohibition of torture and the freedom from poverty, human rights of women and of the child, human rights in armed conflict, freedom of expression and democracy. New to the thoroughly updated 3rd English edition are chapters reflecting current trends in human rights, including new modules on privacy (including challenges posed by Internet use), minority rights and the right to asylum. Translations of the Manual's earlier editions already exist in 15 languages, among them all the official United Nations languages. Most of the language versions can be found on the website of the ETC at www.manual.etc-graz.at, which also contains a learning platform with additional resources that are constantly updated.
The manual has become a basic text for human rights education and training in different countries, on different levels and for different audiences, from university lectures in China to NGO training in Mali to police training in Kosovo.