대학 인권센터 운영 활성화 방안에 관한 검토

With the implementation of the revised Higher Education Act, the establishment of human rights centers within universities has been mandated. However, various operational challenges have arisen in practice. This study conducted in-depth interviews with current and former experts who have worked at university human rights centers to comprehensively analyze the centers’ roles, functions, difficult cases, operational difficulties, and potential improvements. Key issues included conflicts arising when faculty report students, dissatisfaction with committee decisions by complainants, and human rights violations among faculty members. Ambiguities regarding the scope of human rights protection, as well as shortages in personnel and budget, were also identified as significant problems. This study examines strategies to improve the operation of university human rights centers based on in-depth expert interviews. In particular, considering that the Ministry of Education has not accepted the recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission and emphasized the need for universities to utilize their own resources, this study seeks practical measures to enhance the internal operations of human rights centers by compensating for the lack of professional expertise among staff without requiring additional budgetary investment. The study also emphasizes the need for a concrete definition of the concept of ‘human rights’ within university human rights center regulations; the development of practical case-handling manuals that are applicable in real-world contexts; the establishment of an official community for human rights center personnel; the formation of cooperative networks among university human rights centers at regional and local levels; and the construction of an integrated university human rights governance system led by the Ministry of Education and the National Human Rights Commission of Korea. This study provides policy implications that can contribute to the effective operation of university human rights centers and the promotion of human rights culture on campus.