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Questions about the Human Rights in Education Initiative
Why are human rights important? There has been an increase in the understanding and application of human rights ideas over recent decades. This has had many positive results and promises more. Knowledge about human rights can empower individuals and promote solutions for specific problems. Values of tolerance and equality promote the reduction of friction within society. Proper observance of human rights promotes the security and well-being of all people, including people living in countries overseas.
Action on human rights develops our ideas about the kind of society we want to live in. Such action can include community discussions, incorporation by administrators of human rights ideas into practical programs, activism on issues of concern and legislation by governments, among many other things.
Human rights are a prominent part of how people interact with others at all levels in society - in the family, the community, in educational institutions, the workplace, in politics and in international relations. It is vital therefore that people everywhere should strive to understand what human rights are. When people better understand human rights, it will be easier for them to promote justice and the well-being of society.
What is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)? The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is the most widely accepted statement of human rights in the world. Its core message is the inherent value of every human being.
The Declaration was unanimously adopted on the 10th December 1948 by the United Nations (although 8 nations did abstain). It sets out a list of basic rights for everyone in the world whatever their race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. It states that governments have promised to uphold certain rights, not only for their own citizens, but also for people in other countries.
In other words, national borders are no barrier to helping others achieve their rights. Since 1948 the Universal Declaration has been the international standard for human rights. In 1993 a world conference of 171 states representing 99% of the world's population reaffirmed its commitment to human rights. Why do we need human rights-based education in New Zealand? There are significant issues of concern regarding some New Zealand children and young people in education:
Research internationally (and in pockets of Aotearoa/New Zealand) has shown that, properly implemented, human rights based education programmes can impact positively upon attitudes and behaviour, critical thinking and achievement, reasoning and conflict resolution. Evidence shows that young people who are aware of their own rights also accord the same rights and responsibilities to others.
Research also indicates that there needs to be explicit reference to human rights in the formal curriculum, teaching practices, and school values and policy statements. What does the “Right to Education” mean and how does this relate to human rights education? The “Right to Education” encompasses many of the principles outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Convention on the Rights of the Child, and as a starting point argues for free compulsory education at primary and secondary level on a global basis. Human Rights Education embraces this right and advocates for a human rights approach in all learning, so that human rights values and principles can be applied in our everyday lives.
Children's rights are defined by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Convention provides for three categories of rights: What is the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child? On November 20, 1989, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most comprehensive treaty for the protection and support of children and young people in existence today. It reaffirms the fact that children and young people, because of their vulnerability, need special care and protection, defined in terms of rights. The Convention represents a historic milestone. It not only symbolises the many years of struggle to improve children and young people's status in society but also attempts to consolidate international law on the basic rights of children and young people. The Convention has been ratified by more countries than any other human rights treaty in history. New Zealand is one of over 170 nations that have signed the Convention, illustrating our government's commitment to recognise the fundamental human dignity of our children and young people and to ensure their well-being and healthy development. By signing this document, countries are obliged to review their domestic laws and practices regarding children and young people, and to make any changes needed to reach the minimum standards set by the Convention. What are the guiding principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child? There are four guiding principles; the aim is to provide the best conditions for the development of all children and young people:
How does the Convention on the Rights of the Child define a child? The Convention defines a child as a person below the age of 18, unless the laws of a particular country establish the legal age for adulthood as younger than 18. Does the Convention on the Rights of the Child address responsibilities? With rights come responsibilities. The Convention outlines the following responsibilities:
An understanding that there are no rights without responsibilities is integral to building human rights communities. Part of the Human Rights in Education Initiative is to involve children and young people from the start, giving them responsibility for a large part of its success. What about children's respect for the rights of others? The issue of respect for the rights of others is contained in several articles of the Convention. For example, children and young people have the right to express themselves and the right to meet with others and to form associations. But in exercising these rights, the child learns that she or he must respect the rights, freedoms and reputations of others. Research evidence shows that when children and young people are taught in school about their rights and responsibilities under the Convention, they are indeed more respecting of the rights of others. Children and young people who have learned about their rights under the Convention, compared with those who have not show:
Won’t children and young people become “self-righteous” if they focus on their rights? Human rights-based education does not focus on the individual but rather the needs of all. It is about responsibilities as well as rights. There is evidence that children and young people who understand their own rights have a better understanding of other’s rights. Won’t children and young people take advantage of adults if they are taught about their rights? The Convention on the Rights of the Child is clear that children not only have rights, but also the responsibility to respect the rights of others. One of the aims of education about children’s rights is the development of respect for parents and their values and culture. The Convention upholds the primary importance of the parent's role and refers to it repeatedly throughout the document. It says that the government must respect the responsibility of parents for providing appropriate guidance for their children, including guidance as to how children and young people shall exercise their rights. Further, the Convention places on governments the responsibility to protect and assist families in fulfilling their essential role as the nurturers of children. Specifically, the Convention supports:
• Parents/caregivers in raising their children, consistent with the evolving capacities of the child. (Article 5) What does the Convention on the Rights of the Child say about the ways parents discipline their children? The Convention makes it clear that children and young people should be protected from all forms of mental and physical violence. Thus, spanking, shouting, threatening, or humiliating the child are inappropriate. They also are ineffective in teaching a child how to behave. The Convention does not specify which discipline strategies parents can or should use, but it strongly supports parents providing guidance and direction to their children in non-violent ways which are appropriate to the child's developmental level and take the child's best interests into consideration.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child protects children and young people from economic exploitation and from work that is hazardous to their health or interferes with their education. It does not regulate the day-to-day details of home life, and therefore there is nothing in the Convention which prohibits parents from expecting that their children clean their rooms and help out at home in ways which are safe and appropriate to their age. In fact age-appropriate chores may be helpful in the development of pro-social and cooperative behavior and in improving cognitive skills and strategies such as problem solving and decision-making. At times children's help is desired in running a family farm or business. The Convention requires that the chores children do be safe and suited to the individual child's level of development.
Children's work should not jeopardise any of the other rights provided for in the Convention, including the right to education, rest, leisure, play and recreation. Children and young people should be given a voice in what chores they do. Parents or guardians should determine which chores the child could be responsible for and then allow the child to select from among them. It is important to remember that by giving your children choices, they gain experience in making age-appropriate decisions, and learn more about the decision-making process and about responsibility. How will this affect discipline? Evidence shows that children and young people aware of rights and responsibilities are more self-disciplined and subject to peer review of their own behaviour. Won't human rights topics frighten young children? No, although learning about human rights is sometimes based on the knowledge that bad things happen, providing education on Human Rights gives young people the skills that they need to be able to do something about these negative realities, developing in them the attitude that it is possible for them to act to change situations. Teaching human rights is therefore positive, because young people learn about their own value as human beings and about the importance of human dignity. What if one of my students asks a question that I can't answer? Don't be too concerned about this, it can be recognised that in teaching human rights, answers are rarely simple. Complex moral questions cannot be answered with a simple yes or no answer. Therefore, raising the question is sometimes more important than finding one 'correct' answer. By introducing complex issues to children and allowing them to think these issues through, we can equip children to deal with them later in life. Shouldn’t we be trying to take the pressure off teachers, not load them with more work? A ‘human rights community’ allows for a more pleasant working environment where teachers have more time to teach and have to spend less time disciplining. Evidence from similar initiatives internationally shows that teachers’ satisfaction increases. There are no human rights problems in New Zealand, why do we need to bother? Unfortunately, there are human rights issues in New Zealand: racism, child abuse, youth suicide, domestic violence – our children and young people need to be exposed to other ways of thinking and acting if they are to break the patterns of previous generations. Talking about these issues is not enough; they need to see those around them practising what they teach. Schools and centres have the power to make a difference in children and young people’s lives by teach and practising rights and responsibilities. Isn't it the government’s responsibility to ensure that people have the opportunity to learn about human rights? Members of the United Nations have an obligation to promote human rights education in all forms of learning. Individual educators and non-governmental organisations can therefore do a lot to encourage the development of human rights education through their own collaborative efforts in schools and other educational programmes, and also by lobbying and putting pressure on their government to fulfil their obligations in this regard. Who is responsible for implementing human rights? Having voluntarily ratified various international conventions, it is the state party who is obliged to live up to the standards they outline. It is states who have ultimate responsibility in protecting, promoting and fulfilling the rights of their population. In reality, agents of the state such as its own civil and public services and local authorities can play a pivotal role in promoting human rights in areas such as education, housing and health. It is to these services that individuals often look to ensure that their rights are respected.
Questions about the Human Rights in Education Initiative
What does the Initiative aim to achieve? The mission of the Initiative is to develop schools and early childhood centres as communities where human rights and responsibilities are known, promoted and lived…so that New Zealand can have an education system that reflects and contributes to the realisation of New Zealand’s aspirations, values and international human rights obligations. Where is the money coming from for this Initiative? The Human Rights in Education Initiative is a not-for-profit, non-government educational initiative. It is managed and governed by the Human Rights Communities in Education Trust, which is continually seeking funding from a range of sources for its work. This Initiative is not associated with any political party, but all the key political parties have expressed their support for “human rights” many times in the past.
Who is behind this Initiative? Anyone can be involved in the Initiative. The sponsoring organisations are: Amnesty International, the Office of the Children’s Commissioner, The Development Resource Centre, The Human Rights Commission and the Peace Foundation. The Initiative has three work streams with various projects in each: 1) Rights-respecting schools/centres, 2) Rights-respecting education system, 3) Initiative support structure. The Initiative is ‘open source’ which means anyone can contribute. Who is going to monitor the Initiative? When schools and centres around New Zealand indicate their interest in becoming human rights communities, independent monitoring of the Initiative will be carried out to ensure accurate reporting. Education Review Office reports will also be utilised in the long term to determine whether school and centre improvement can be attributed to the Initiative, for example. Indefinitely! This is not a “fad” or a “bandwagon”, this is a way of being that has been agreed on by humanity on a global basis! As one of the original countries behind the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is time that New Zealand took its rightful place as a world leader in human rights. We are in a unique position to do more than just “add another topic to the social studies curriculum”. Human rights needs to be a daily living experience that children and young people see in every classroom they walk into, it is a way of being and doing, not a set of rules to recite. How does the Initiative fit with the learning goals of the New Zealand school system? The goals of both the Initiative and the school/centre system are to assist children and young people in achieving their potential and being responsible citizens. The information taught in the Initiative helps children and young people learn respect for self and others, critical thinking skills, and informed decision-making. |