Human Rights Education
Education is the means by which we learn and become our most human through relationships with others.
Education properly conceived promoteshuman dignity, rights and freedoms. It is the vehicle that enables people to flourish without fear, intimidation, nor persecution. The Australian Council of Human Rights Education’s mission is educating people about human rights with a special focus on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
How do we define human rights?
How do we become literate in human rights?
History tells us that societies around the world established codes of conduct to promote social cohesion by enshrining human rights and collective civic responsibility in its citizens dating back to antiquity. In more recent times, the international community came together in the aftermath of World War 2 to define a set of universal human rights. This became known as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Since then, other treaties and binding agreements have been signed that promote and protect human rights in specific places, such as the European Convention on Human Rights in 1950, or people deemed in need of special protection – the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990.
These conventions are intended to protect the human rights and the dignity of adults and children around the world. They comprise basic standards of behaviour and human dignity, which we are born with by virtue of being human. Human rights refer to the upholding and maintenance of equity, equality, dignity, respect, freedom and justice. For example, we should be able to live without fear of discrimination, and be able to exercise our freedom of speech, right to life, marriage equality and a right to an education.
Many human rights are complementary; for example, participation in public life depends on the right to free speech.
Why teach about human rights?
The aim of human rights education is to create a culture of justice in support of human rights. A culture whereby the human person is respected, and where human rights violations are recognised, and moral purpose informs actions and ethical behaviours that protect the rights of all people.
This set of resources focuses upon the promotion of principles underlying the UN Declaration of Human Rights. They are intended to help teachers foster ethical behaviour, a questioning habit of mind and a commitment to supporting human flourishing in serving the common good. This serves as a means to upholding human rights and involves being ethically informed in demonstrating respect for the dignity of the human person and apply ethical perspectives to decision-making linking directly to the UN Declaration of Human Rights.
The Principles of Human Rights
Human rights are based on shared values including human dignity, transparency, fairness, equality, respect for the common good.
Human Dignity
Human dignity is something we are born with by virtue of being human. However, it can be diminished due the behaviour of others and ourselves. In upholding our human dignity, we support human flourishing, serve the Common Good and support human rights. Human dignity and human rights can be further supported by the Golden Rule which exists in every religion, belief system and wisdom tradition.
Common Good and Social Justice
Promoting the flourishing of everyone; not just the majority or the few or the wealthy. No one left behind. This goes beyond material needs to supporting all needs that contribute to supporting human rights within a community. Protecting the Common Good means accepting that we are all connected to the earth through its ecology.
Transparency
Transparency means that governments must be open about all information and decision-making processes related to rights. People must be able to know and understand how major decisions affecting rights are made and how public institutions, such as hospitals and schools, which are needed to protect rights, are managed and run fairly.
Subsidiarity
The principle of subsidiarity means that decisions are made as close as possible to the communities that will be served or affected by the outcome, rather than at a national level, which can be too remote or non-representative.
Stewardship of the Earth’s Ecology
To accept that we are all connected to the earth and that respecting the earth and all species of plants and animals, we also respect our Human Rights within a connected ecology. It is imperative that we to continue to respect and enjoy the earth’s resources in balance; enabling everyone and future generations to flourish.