The contributions of nongovernmental organisations in the field of human rights to the human rights and democracy education

This study aims at identifying the contribution of non-governmental organizations operating in the field of human rights in education of human rights and democracy. Human rights have been a topic of discussion and debate since the existence of human beings. Starting from the antiquity, it has been the main cause of the determination of the destiny of human beings and the emergence of cultures. A human is a free being as long as they have rights. Nowhere in the world has ever been a place where humanity could exist as long as people enjoyed rights and free living. Following the acquisitions in the field of human rights, the topic of debate was how equally these rights were distributed and this topic is still debated. As of this point, democracy started to be mentioned. As human beings, we do have rights; but how democratic are we? In other words, how much respect do we show to the rights of the people we interact with? In present time, the fact that human rights and democracy are of extreme importance is acknowledged by everybody. The democratic feature of a society is in direct proportion to the comfort and bliss of the citizens of that society. The non-governmental organizations operating in this area aim at enhancing the awareness of citizens via human rights and democracy education. In this research, scanning method has primarily been applied, and interview method has also been used (heads of non-governmental organizations have been interviewed.) In this study, democracy is the first subject matter. What is mentioned under this heading is the development of Turkish democracy in the world and in Turkey, and non-governmental organizations? efforts on democracy education. Secondly, the issue of human rights has been discussed. Starting with the concept of human rights, non-governmental organizations? studies in this field have been emphasized. What is finally presented are the projects conducted in this field in our country, and related reports, data and tables. Key Words: non-governmental organizations, democracy and human rights