Human Rights Lesson Plans

CONTENTS

LESSON PLAN 1: HUMAN RIGHTS

LESSON PLAN 2: UNIVERSAL DECLARATION

LESSON PLAN 3: RIGHT TO EQUALITY

LESSON PLAN 4: RIGHT TO JUSTICE

LESSON PLAN 5: RIGHT TO EDUCATION

LESSON PLAN 6: RIGHT TO PEACE

LESSON PLAN 7: ACTION FOR RIGHTS

THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS (OFFICIAL VERSION)

THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS (SIMPLIFIED VERSION)

CURRICULUM LINKS

Pg 3 - 6

Pg 7 - 12

Pg 13 - 16

Pg 17 - 20

Pg 21 - 24

Pg 25 - 28

Pg 29 - 32

Pg 33 - 36

Pg 37 - 39

Pg 40

OBJECTIVE TO LEARN THAT RIGHTS ARE EVERYWHERE AND FOR EVERYONE

1. INTRODUCING THE ISSUE:

Show pupils a copy of the poster picture. Use this as the focus for discussion such as: Do you know what a right is? Do you know what your rights are? Did you know that over 150 governments have made an agreement that everyone has the right to life, that you are free to practice whatever religion you want and not to be forcibly moved from your home?

Listening to the news – you wouldn’t think that all these countries have signed up to this agreement – the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Declaration signed 60 years ago is not just for people living in far away places, in war zones or under oppressive dictatorships; it is about us, about the way we live our lives! Many people feel it is the most important document that has ever been produced.

But human rights are complicated. Some people think that human rights are a luxury of prosperous countries. Are some rights more important than others such as survival rights (food/ shelter) or the right to say what you think and access to information?

Should the United Nations be like a human rights police force? Do they know enough about local problems and traditions? Which is more important – human rights or respecting local customs? It’s not easy!

We can start with thinking about ourselves and how with rights come responsibilities. Schools should practise rights like quality and justice, in its rules and atmosphere, in the way students, teachers and all school workers relate to each other. UNICEF have a programme called Rights Respecting Schools. See www.unicef.org.uk/teacherzone

2. GROUP ACTIVITY: HUMAN RIGHTS TREE

(See poster)

• Ask small groups to make a tree on a large piece of paper.

• Pupils should cut out leaves and write on them rights people need for a reasonable life.

• Then add the roots – the conditions we need to have in place for these rights to flourish.

• Display the trees around the classroom and discuss them.

3. REACHING CONSENSUS

(See worksheet)

• Task: Make links from the “want”, “need” and “by right” phrases on the left to the list on the right.

• Pupils may do this on their own, in pairs or in groups.

• They should be invited to share the outcomes and discuss what a right is.

4. CREATE YOUR OWN TITLE FOR THE POSTER

(See poster)

In pairs or groups discuss what the title for the poster should be.

5. OUTCOME

Pupils should have deepened their understanding of what rights are and how they can be realised – for themselves and for other people

POSTER

Poster title............

Clean Water

Freedom Of Speech

Healthy Economy

Fair Judicial System

THE LEAVES = the rights needed for a reasonable life. e.g clean water, freedom of speech. THE ROOTS = the conditions needed to protect and insure life. e.g healthy economy.

WORKSHEET

DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR RIGHTS ARE?

WHICH THINGS WOULD YOU PUT IN WHICH CATEGORY?

Make lines to join the statements on the left side with any things you think belong with them from the list on the right side. You could use different coloured pens to show the different categories

e.g I would like to have .....games.

Designer clothes

Food

I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE… I NEED TO HAVE… I SHOULD HAVE BY RIGHT…

Family

Friends

Games

Happiness

Health

Money

Safety

School

Television

Work

Free speech

LESSON PLAN 2

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION

OBJECTIVE

TO LEARN ABOUT THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND WHAT IS IN IT

1. INTRODUCING THE ISSUE

warm up activity

• Show pupils the poster of Highs and Lows of Human Rights time line, to find out about the history of human rights protection, leading up to the Declaration in1948

2. DEVELOPING DEBATE

(Group task - See worksheet A)

• Using the timeline template below as a guide ask small groups to make an arrow on a piece of paper. This is their own time line, leading from the past (on the top) to the present and the future (on the bottom). They can put in events in their lives which they think have a relevance to Human Rights and the UDHR (such as when they started school, moved house, went to or visited hospital etc.)

• Using the template they should try to sketch and name important ‘human rights’ events which they know about from history or their own lives. Put positive events for rights under the happy face and negative events against rights under the sad face. Groups then compare their time lines and discuss the results. The timelines could also be developed into posters.

3. REACHING CONSENSUS

(See worksheet B)

• Explain the idea of people and organisations working for the achievement of rights. Ask pupils to make their own list for ways this can be done by filling in the sheet.

• Discuss how rights can be made powerful and by whom

4. CREATE YOUR OWN TITLE FOR THE POSTER

In pairs or in groups discuss what the title of the poster should be.

5. OUTCOME

Students should have extended their ideas about the Universal Declaration and its global significance. They could also find out about other international agreements such as the Convention of the Rights of the Child.

6. FURTHER ACTIVITY

(See worksheet C)

A further activity is to look at the below picture from Amnesty International and match to the different articles in the UDHR. Using 3 sticky coloured dots put red where you think a right is being enjoyed, blue where you think it is being denied and yellow if you think it is being sought. An extension activity (using the pdf of the simplified UDHR, put the number of the article on the dot Eg.

1) Hospital = Article 22, School = Article 24 etc.

WORKSHEET A

MAKING A HUMAN RIGHTS TIME LINE

In The History Of The World In My Experience

1943

My Great Grandfather was ............

Hiroshima: Peace Rights denied

UDHR: Rights for all

1945

1948

CRC: Special rights for children

1989

Rio Earth

Summit: Protect the environment

1992

2001

2012

I go to school for the first time I vote for the first time

WORKSHEET B

DREAMS ARE ESSENTIAL IF WE WANT TO BUILD A BETTER WORLD

HOW DO THESE GROUPS AND PEOPLE PROTECT RIGHTS?

Think of ways in which they can act to improve human rights-and write in your ideas

• THE UNITED NATIONS ............

• GOVERNMENTS ............

• ORGANISATIONS ............

• COMMUNITIES ............

• FAMILIES ............

• INDIVIDUALS ............

© Illustration by Michael Troukades (Cyprus)

dom, but also new problems, to millions.

The end of communism brought greater free -

Europe, the Berlin Wall, fell in November 1989.

Symbolic barrier to human rights in Eastern

millions of black people.

apartheid and of human right’s abuse for

marked the beginning of the end of

1990: The release of Nelson Mandela

Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt.

committee chaired by USA ex-First

It was drawn up by an international

Human Rights was signed by the UN.

1948: the Universal Declaration of

1930’s and 1940’s.

USSR throughout the

Stalin, who rulled the

power to dictators like

In practice it often gave

and rights to the people.

munism would give power

Karl Marx hoped com -

decolonized.

1960’s most of the rest of the world was

independence in 1947 and by the early

to independence. Gandhi helped India to

tury Simon Bolivar led South America

End of empires: in the 19th cen -

lived there.

all the human rights of the people who

Latin America and Oceania, removing

nations created empires in Africa, Asia,

15th century, powerful European

Colonial expansion: beginning in the

cas. Many died as a result.

transported in appalling conditions to work in the Ameri -

of people as slaves. From the 16th century, Africans were

Slavery: the worst abuse of human rights was the purchase

of the people.

allowing kings to rule only by the wish

the Bill of Rights improved on it by

to limit the divine right of kings. In 1689,

1215, was the first attempt by a people

The Magna Carta, signed in Britain in

killings.

and the practice of human sacrifice justified official

abuse of human rights: inquisitions, fatwahs, sati

In some cultures, religion provided an excuse for

of law.

rights through courts

down to defend human

BC, laws were written

around the 14th century

From the time of Moses,

burial.

brother a decent

Creon to give her

disobeyed King

for her rights. She

ancient Greece, Antigone stood up

In 300 BC, in

king’s horse at the Derby.

One woman threw herself to her death under the

the right to vote in 1918, after a brutal struggle.

Rights of woman: in the UK, women first won

they saw the economic benefit of an educated work-force.

Universal education: 19th century Europeans used child labourers until

these slaves were

court decided that

In 1841, an American

and the other slaves.

They freed themselves

ship called the Amistad.

dence!

declared indepen -

people, not property. American Revolution (1775-1783): North

from British rule and

America broke free

to the Americas on a

rebelled on their way

Two brave slaves

Africans into firstand secondclass citizens

the colour of their skin. Apartheid divided South

by a new and insidious way of judging people by

Apartheid and segregation: slavery was replaced

western world.

between 1948 and 1991. The American Civil War

eliminate slavery from the

It started a long battle to

over the issue of slavery.

(1861-1865) was fought

French aristocracy.

power to usurp the natural rights of their people.

birth, wealth or physical strength. They used their

Kings and tribal chiefs achieved their authority by

of man. They guillotined the

Declaration of the Rights

of France adopted their

in 1793 when the people

divine right of kings came

greatest revolt against the

had rights and responsibilities.

human beings. Stone-age families

Human Rights are as old as

king and members of the START HERE

WORKSHEET C

© Illustration by Amnesty International

LESSON

RIGHT TO EQUALITY

OBJECTIVE

TO LEARN ABOUT COUNTERING DISCRIMINATION IN ANY COUNTRY

1. INTRODUCING THE ISSUE

(See poster)

Show pupils copy of the poster picture. Use this poem to kick start the discussion about discrimination. You may want to introduce ideas such as: Humans are very quick to discriminate against, or judge, anyone who seems different.

Have you ever been discriminated against because of your sex or where you came from? And if you really think about it, you’ve probably made judgements about people based solely on their appearance! You could ask whether they think the election of Barack Obama provides new hope for the effort to ban discrimination.

2. ACTIVITY: DRAMA IMPROVISATION – JOB INTERVIEW

Your local council has decided to appoint an equal opportunities worker, to make everyone more aware of discrimination in the area, Who should they appoint?

DEVELOPING DEBATE

(Group task)

• Divide the class into groups of 4 or more people. In each group, 2 or 3 people take roles as job candidates for the equal opportunities worker. The rest are council members who have to choose one person for the job. Candidates present themselves, inventing as they wish their qualifications and experience. They may like to add details about their race, class, gender or abilities (for example Jane and Tunde could both be from a minority group)

• Discuss what happened in the groups and generate ideas about how to select people based solely on merit

3. REACHING CONSENSUS

(See worksheet)

Ask individuals or pairs to think of examples of racist experience they know about. See if they can “grade” these using concepts of overt and less overt racist behaviour, filling in the spaces on the worksheet.

4. CREATE YOUR OWN TITLE FOR THE POSTER

In pairs or groups discuss what the title for the poster should be.

5. OUTCOME

Students should have extended their ideas about attitudes which discriminate, in themselves and in other people.

WORKSHEET

HOW RACIST ARE WE?

DO YOU THINK THERE ARE DIFFERENT DEGREES OF RACISM?

Fill in the spaces with examples of racist actions which are either blatant or more hidden

SUBTLY RACIST BEHAVIOUR

• Avoiding talking to someone with a different skin colour.

OPENLY RACIST BEHAVIOUR

• Calling someone names because of his difference.

Colours

The colour of my face or my race Red, yellow, black or blue All these appearances Should cause no interferences

It

really shouldn’t matter to you.

Religion or my age Shouldn’t cause a rage

Education, gender or ability Or even my financial stability

It

really shouldn’t matter to you.

Equality and justice Listen to us and trust us To make the world peaceful And fair: Down with discrimination We all

must care It all should matter to you!

Emily Mackinnon, USA

RIGHT TO JUSTICE

OBJECTIVE TO LEARN ABOUT HOW JUSTICE WORKS IN THE WORLD

1. INTRODUCING THE ISSUE

(See poster)

Show pupils copy of the poster picture. Use it to focus on what justice is and how people are protected by laws. Share ideas on access to fair treatment in cases of injustice.

Amnesty International reports that half of the world’s governments jail people because of their beliefs, race, gender or ethnic origin. At trial you should be treated fairly no matter who you are.

In many countries, people “disappear” daily. They are kidnapped, murdered, tortured…. Who knows what happens to them? No one! When this happens, people should be able to ask for legal help, but that’s not always the case.

2. DEVELOPING DEBATE

(Group task)

• Ask small groups to come up with a list of human rights“heroes” and “heroines”. People who stood up for human rights in the world. This could lead to making their own posters containing a series of short portraits/ head shots of different people such as Nelson Mandela or Mother Theresa. This should have a short caption on what they have done. These might even be local people in the community.

Make another list of “villains” against rights – a rogue’s gallery.

People who pushed down human rights in the world Discuss the findings with the class. Display the posters.

3. REACHING CONSENSUS

(See worksheet)

• Develop discussion and thinking how laws are made and enforced, by asking students to imagine they have been shipwrecked on an uninhabited island. They must create a constitution or set of laws for their community or it will be chaos! Working in small groups, they decide what their laws should be and write them up on a big sheet of paper.

• Each group then takes turns in presenting their document. Once all of them have been presented, the whole group can decide which laws are the most important and how they can be implemented.

4. CREATE YOUR OWN TITLE FOR THE POSTER

In pairs or groups discuss what the title for the poster should be.

5. OUTCOME

Students should have extended their ideas about justice and freedom. They should continue to explore the concepts of “fairness”, finding examples in fact or fiction to share with others.

WORKSHEET

ON OUR ISLAND

YOU SHOULD BE TREATED FAIRLY NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE WHAT RULES WOULD WE MAKE FOR A NEW ISLAND?

Fill in your ideas about rules which could make your community better – with your ways of enforcing them.

• In this island, everyone should............

• If anyone does not, he or she will............

• Nobody should............

• If anyone does, he or she will............

• These rules are ............

• They can be changed by............

POSTER

“ I’ve done nothing wrong! ”

“I was dragged out of the bus by four armed policemen to a waiting police van. I was thrown in a room for four days without my family’s knowledge. I was terrified.”

Anonymous, Kenya

Poster title............

© Illustration by Aminu Seidu (Ghana)

1. INTRODUCING THE ISSUE

(See poster)

Use the poster to think about the importance of education. Ask questions such as how do people get on or improve their conditions without education? How many children do not receive primary education world wide? In which countries? Are there any categories of people who are denied education? What is the importance of educating girls? What stops them? (Fetching water from wells, lack of latrines in schools, high cost of uniforms etc.) Is education always a good thing? Can you think of any situations where education has negative values?

2. ACTIVITY

WHAT MAKES A SCHOOL SPECIAL?

(This could either be a brainstorming with ideas writen on board or given to the pupils to do in groups.)

• The buildings?

• The facilities?

• The teachers?

• The atmosphere?

• The activities?

• The type of lessons?

3. DEVELOPING DEBATE

(Group task)

Ask small groups to produce drawings for things they like about school. They could also think about the kind of school they would like to go to. Encourage them to think of reasons why they may not have all the things they like in their own school – and what would need to be done in order to have such things.

4. REACHING CONSENSUS

(See worksheet)

Develop critical thinking about their school and deciding on priorities.

Here are some suggested sentences (You may want to develop your own)

Print them out and then cut them up. Ask pupils to rank them in order of importance.

Further ideas: Extend discussion about other economic and social rights, like access to good health care, homes and support services and how these can be achieved, particularly in areas of poverty.

5. CREATE YOUR OWN TITLE FOR THE POSTER

In pairs or groups discuss what the title for the poster should be.

6. OUTPUT

Students should have extended their ideas about education provision. They should be encouraged to look at their own situation and to compare it with education in other parts of the world.

WORKSHEET

Thinking about your own school - put the following in order of importance and arrange in a diamond ranking.

There is no bullying in the school.

Teachers listen to pupil’s opinions on matters that concern them.

All pupils have a chance to reach their own potential.

Pupils make decisions with their teachers about how their classroom is run.

All pupils respect their teachers.

Pupils are shown how to be responsible for their own studying.

Pupils are generally happy in school.

All pupils are treated equally.

Pupils respect and listen to each other.

POSTER

Dear Teacher, I am a survivor of a concentration camp. My eyes saw what no man should witness: Gas chambers built by learned engineers. Children poisoned by educated physicians. Infants killed by trained nurses. Women and babies shot and burned by high School and college graduates. So I am suspicious of education. My request is: help your students become human. Your efforts must never produce learned monsters, skilled educatedpsychopaths, Eichmanns, Reading, writing, arithmetic are important only if they serve to make our children more human.

Letter sent by the Principal of a school in the USA to his teachers.

OBJECTIVE

TO LEARN ABOUT SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES, LIKE LIVING IN PEACE

1. INTRODUCING THE ISSUE

(See poster)

Show pupils copy of the poster picture. If we all wrote down three things that would make a free and fair world, where all rights can be fully realized, everyone’s lists would be different. But as you see or listen to the news or read the papers it makes you realize that there are millions of people around the world who do not have the right to live in peace and security without fear of war or oppression from any other race or nation or even their own government. Most of the victims of war are not soldiers. – they are civilians. War wipes out all human rights – peace has to be a top priority!

2. DEVELOPING DEBATE

(Group task)

• Ask groups to design a recipe for a special cake, a world peace cake. They should agree what ingredients would be most important for their cake, like economic security, social equality and environment protection. These could be simpler words, like food for all, decent homes, access to school.

• The different cake recipes can then be shared and one whole class cake designed which gives a good recipe for world peace

ACTIVITY:

RECIPE FOR A PEACE CAKE

3. REACHING CONSENSUS

(See worksheet)

Explain that rights imply responsibilities. Use the re-worded extracts from Articles 28 and 29 of the Universal Declaration to discuss how young people can take responsible actions.

Share responses to the worksheet, for changes in lifestyle like healthier living or buying fairly traded products.

4. CREATE YOUR OWN TITLE FOR THE POSTER

In pairs or groups discuss what the title for the poster should be.

5. OUTCOME

Students should link rights with responsibilities, in their own communities and in wider processes for world peace.

WORKSHEET

MAKE CHOICES THAT DO NOT HARM ANYONE

WHAT ARE OUR RESPONSIBILITIES FOR CREATING A PEACEFUL WORLD?

Fill in what you think you can do in your own community.

If I am entitled to live in a free and fair world (Article 28)

Then I have a duty to support and serve my community (Article 29)

By:

POSTER

Poster title............

© Illustration by Emma Crake (UK)

LESSON PLAN 7

ACTION FOR RIGHTS

OBJECTIVES

TO LEARN HOW YOUNG PEOPLE CAN MAKE AN IMPACT

1. INTRODUCING THE ISSUE

(See poster)

Use the poster to think about which people, organizations and groups act to protect people’s rights. How can young people make an impact to improve people’s lives?

2. DEVELOPING DEBATE

(Group task)

Ask groups to design posters for a right campaign of their choice. They could look at examples of posters from organisations like Amnesty International or Anti Slavery to get ideas for how to focus attention on a special issue.

• Give help with planning the target audience, suitable impacting words and images and where they could display the posters

• Each group then presents their vision to the whole class, who act as a kind of global committee commenting on the proposals

Points to consider

• What will the campaign be for?

• Who will be the targeted audience?

• Which words should we use?

• Which images should we use?

• Where will the poster be displayed?

3. REACHING CONSENSUS

(See worksheet)

Develop discussion and thinking about taking action to improve the protection of the rights and what effect young people can have, acting by themselves or with adults.

4. CREATE YOUR OWN TITLE FOR THE POSTER

In pairs or groups discuss what the title for the poster should be.

5. OUTPUT

Students should have extended their ideas about effective forms of action to ensure that particular rights are recognised and respected by others. They should meet to plan further information and action campaigns.

This should help to measure the impact of other socially useful activities they may choose to be involved in.

WORKSHEET

I’VE JOINED THE MARCH TO SHOW MY SUPPORT

WHAT CAN YOUNG PEOPLE DO TO HELP ACHIEVE RIGHTS?

Write in what you think is possible, locally, nationally or internationally

• what I can do by myself

• what I can do with other young people

• what I can do with adults

POSTER

Poster title............

© Illustration by Jantien Roozenburg (Netherlands)

THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS (official version)

Articles 1-15 are all civil and political rights and are concerned with the basic right to freedom and equality.

Article 1.

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2.

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 3.

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4.

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 5.

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 6.

Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 7.

All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 8.

Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 9.

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 10.

Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

Article 11.

(1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessar y for his defence.

(2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.

Article 12.

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Article 13.

(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.

(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Article 14.

(1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.

(2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 15.

(1) Everyone has the right to a nationality.

(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.

Articles 16 – 30 are all to do with economic, social and cultural rights

Article 16.

(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.

(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.

(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

Article 17.

(1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.

(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Article 18.

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 19.

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 20.

(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

Article 21.

(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.

(2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.

(3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

Article 22.

Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

Article 23.

(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.

(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.

(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.

(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

Article 24.

Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

Article 25.

(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

Article 26.

(1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.

(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.

(3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

Article 27.

(1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.

(2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

Article 28.

Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

Article 29.

(1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.

(2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.

(3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 30.

Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any

Here is a picture of Eleanor Roosevelt who as Chair of the United Nations Commission was the driving force behind the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS (simplified version)

This is a simplified version of the Universal Declaration.

Articles 1-15 are all civil and political rights and are concerned with the basic right to freedom and equality.

Article 1.

All human beings are born free and have equal rights. Everyone has reason and a conscience and therefore should be friendly to one another.

Article 2.

Everyone, whatever their race, colour, nationality, sex, political or other beliefs, however much money or property they have, and no matter what the strength or the politics of their national government, is entitled to the same human rights.

Article 3.

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4.

No one shall be held in slavery. Slavery and the slave trade shall be completely forbidden.

Article 5.

No one shall be tortured or given cruel, inhuman or degrading punishments.

Article 6.

Everyone, everywhere has the right to be recognized as a person before the law.

Article 7.

Everyone is equal before the law and has the right to be protected equally by the law. We are all further protected by the law against any attempt to discriminate or to encourage others to discriminate amongst us.

Article 8.

If our rights are violated, we all have the right to take those who violate them to court and receive a fair judgement.

Article 9.

No one shall be arrested arbitrarily on a whim or held in prison, or forced into exile without a proper legal process being followed.

Article 10.

Everyone charged with a crime, whatever their background, is entitled to an open and fair trial by an impartial court.

Article 11.

Everyone charged with a crime, has the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Article 12.

Everyone has the right to be protected from arbitrary interference of their privacy, whether it be unfounded attacks on their reputation or interference in their home, family or personal letters.

Article 13.

Everyone is free to move about their country and live where they like within it. Everyone has the right to come and go from their country as they like.

Article 14.

Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy asylum in other countries from persecution, except when they are charged with genuinely non political crimes like robbery or murder, or anything else in conflict with the spirit of the United Nations.

Article 15.

Everyone has the right to a nationality. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of their nationality nor denied the right to change their nationality should they wish to do so.

Articles 16 – 30 are all to do with economic, social and cultural rights

Article 16.

At 16, or at an agreed legal age, any man or woman, whatever their race, nationality or religion, may marry and found a family. The man and the woman have equal rights both during their marriage and if they get divorced. No one shall be forced into a marriage against their will. The family is he basic building block of all societies and shall be protected by the law.

Article 17.

Everyone is entitled to own things, whether on their own, or as a group or family. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of their property.

Article 18.

Everyone has the right to think and believe what they want, to change their mind if they want to, to pray or worship as they feel inclined, and to teach about, observe and organize religious festivals as they feel appropriate.

Article 19.

Everyone is free to think and say what they want, without interference, in any media and in any country that they want.

Article 20.

Everyone has the right to hold peaceful meetings and form associations, but noone shall be forced to join any association.

Article 20.

Everyone has the right to have a say in the government that rules them, through freely elected representatives. Regular elections in which everyone has the right to a free and secret vote shall be the only basis for the authority of a government and everyone shall have equal right to the public services that such governments provide.

Article 21.

Every member of a society has the right to a safety net that will provide the money and status necessary for them to enjoy a dignified life in their society. Individually and together, all nations shall struggle to provide that safety net for all people on earth.

Article 22.

Everyone has the right to work, to chose their job and to join a trade union. Everyone should have good working conditions, equal pay for equal work and unemployment benefit or income supplement if their pay does not ensure a decent standard of living.

Article 23.

Everyone has the right to rest and leisure and holidays from time to time. No one shall be forced to work long and unreasonable hours.

Article 24.

Everyone, especially mothers and children, has the right to a decent standard of living with appropriate housing health care, food and social services in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other circumstances beyond his or her control.

Article 25.

Everyone has the right to education, and elementary education shall be free and compulsory for all. Technical and professional education shall generally be available and higher education available to all on the basis of merit. Parents have the right to chose the education they want for their children, but all education must strengthen the respect for human rights and promote the values of peace, tolerance, understanding and friendship between nations.

Article 26.

Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in and benefit from scientific advances. Equally everyone has the right to protect copyright of their scientific, literary or artistic work.

Article 27.

Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

Article 28.

Everyone has a duty to support his/her community. The law may limit an individual’s rights in order to protect the rights and freedoms of others and to ensure the general welfare of democracy. None of these rights may be used in ways that are contrary to the purposes of the United Nations.

Article 29.

Here is a picture of Eleanor Roosevelt who as Chair of the United Nations Commission was the driving force behind the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

CURRICULUM LINKS

These show how the topics fit in with the UK Curriculum.

The lesson plans are designed for pupils aged 11-14 (KS3) but can be adapted for younger pupils.

Citizenship

Knowledge and understanding about becoming informed citizens

1. Pupils should be taught about:

(A) The legal and human rights and responsibilities underpinning society

(F) The work of community based, national and international voluntary groups

(G) The importance of resolving conflict fairly

(I) The world as a global community, and the political, economic, environmental and social implications of this, and the role of the United Nations.

Developing skills of enquiry and communication

2. Pupils should be taught to:

(A) Think about topical political, spiritual, moral social and cultural issues, problems and events by analyzing information and its sources, including ICT based sources

(C) Contribute to group and exploratory class discussions, and take part in debates

Developing skills of participation and responsible action

3. Pupils should be taught to:

(A) Use their imagination to consider other people’s experiences and be able to think about, express and explain views that are not their own.

(C) Reflect on the process of participating