What is Human Rights Education
Human rights education (HRE) aims to promote an understanding of what human rights are and how they are relevant to our daily lives. It also aims to develop in people an attitude of respect for these rights and equip them with the skills which will enable them to uphold their own rights and the rights of others.
Education About, Through and For Human Rights
The three dimensions of learning - knowledge, attitude and skills - can be understood in the context of human rights education as equating to education about human rights, through human rights and for human rights.
In a school setting, education about human rights gives children the knowledge of what human rights are and an understanding of how they are relevant to their daily lives as well as their relevance to moral, historical and social issues being addressed through the curriculum.
Education through human rights places responsibility on the school to provide an environment which visibly respects and upholds the rights of all within the school community. Children will only begin to develop an attitude of respect for human rights if they are set the example of respect from those around them.
The overriding aim of human rights education is that children should actively work for human rights i.e. that they should ensure that through their own speech and behaviour they are upholding both their own rights and the rights of others. Schools should therefore work to give children the skills which will enable them to actively take responsibility for upholding rights. Skills such as effective communication, conflict resolution, cooperation and analysis will allow them to pre-empt and avoid situations where human rights may be compromised.
Human Rights Education is a Human Right
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), has famously been described as the “world’s best kept secret”. It is a document that world leaders are accountable to and that should influence the way that we lead our lives and yet it is also a document that the vast majority of us have very little knowledge of. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history, with all but two countries making the commitment to uphold and protect the rights that it enshrines.
Both the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain and Northern Ireland have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). This means that both states are obligated under international law to implement the rights enshrined in the convention.
Article 29 of the Convention outlines the aims of education. It states that education should foster:
- The development of the child’s personality and talents
- Children’s respect for human rights and freedoms
- Children’s respect for their own cultural and national values as well as those of others
- Children’s respect for the natural environment
Article 42 of the Convention says that state parties to the convention have a duty to make its provisions known to both adults and children.
Human rights education itself is therefore a human right and as such belongs to all levels of education.
Human Rights Education and the LIFT OFF Initiative
The LIFT OFF Initiative is one of the largest initiatives ever undertaken in any country to promote human rights education at primary level. It is the unique partnership of Amnesty International (UK / Irish section) with INTO and UTU, two of the major teachers’ unions on the island of Ireland, that have helped the initiative to achieve its continuing successes as well as the commitment shown by our key funders: Department of Education, Northern Ireland, Department of Education and Science in the Republic of Ireland and Irish Aid.
The importance of the role of human rights education for the realisation of human rights cannot be ignored. Universal and effective human rights protection can only be achieved through an informed and continued demand for human rights protection by the people: only through knowing the rights of all and the means to ensure their respect can we defend and ultimately realise them. In this sense, human rights education constitutes an essential investment towards the achievement of a just society in which all people are valued and respected. In the short term, there is increasing evidence that the inclusion of human rights education in the formal education system has a positive impact on children’s levels of attainment and on the overall school climate through decreased instances of bullying and conflict and increased respect for the rights and identities of all.
The LIFT OFF Initiative represents a valuable contribution to this aim. It provides curriculum resources for educational activities to be developed in primary schools, with due attention given to the developmental stage of pupils and students. In doing this, the LIFT OFF Initiative makes human rights principles meaningful to the daily lives and experiences of children throughout the island of Ireland.
It is important to stress that human rights education within education systems requires the full involvement not only of children but all those concerned, including teachers, administrators and parents. It should constitute a participatory practice, undertaken in an atmosphere of mutual respect, that aims to develop an understanding of a common responsibility and to make human rights a reality in our communities.
