Power of Human Rights Education – Path to Dignity – Women & Girls
Author: Womens UN Report Network
Date: October 15, 2012
WUNRN
A Path to Dignity: The Power of Human
Rights Education
“Human rights education can make a real difference in
people’s lives – whether a woman in Turkey, a police officer in Australia or a
child in India, as we see in this film,” says UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay
in her introduction to a 28-minute movie entitled “A Path to Dignity: The Power
of Human Rights Education”.
DIRECT LINK TO FILM SITE – FILM
AVAILABLE IN 6 OFFICIAL UN LANGUAGES:
http://path-to-dignity.org/film-english
The movie presents three case studies illustrating the
impact of human rights education among school children in
From Tamil Nadu, in Southern India, Maria Soosai Selvaraj,
National Programme Coordinator for the
of
human rights values.” In addition to learning about the Indian Constitution,
the children develop an understanding of the rights of the child, and the
principles of non-discrimination and equality, and how these apply to their
daily lives.
In
and educates Victoria Police employees on human rights. “Human rights training
forms part of our foundation training programme now,” explains Charlie Allen,
an inspector. “Recruits marching into the academy or going into the academy for
their training phase do initial education in human rights.”
In
of weekly workshops. Women learn about their human rights and the laws that
protect these rights. Mujcan Guneri, a human rights trainer, says that “the
women they reached through this training programme, who have come to realize
their value as individuals, have all taken steps forward. They begin to see the
next step. They engage more with people and take better advantage of the opportunities
offered by the State.” “Some go back to school. Some return to work life,” she
adds.
“The full realization of human rights requires all human
beings to be aware of their and other people’s rights and of the means to
ensure their protection,” says Pillay. “This is the task of human rights
education, which builds knowledge, skills and attitudes prompting behaviour
that upholds human rights. It is a process of empowerment which helps identify
human rights problems and seek solutions in line with human rights principles.
It is based on the understanding of our own responsibility to make human rights
a reality in our community and society at large. It has a fundamental role in
preventing violations, combating discrimination as well as fostering equality
and equal opportunities for all.”
United Nations human rights education initiatives, such as
the on-going World Programme
for Human Rights Education, encourage governments and civil
society to develop effective human rights education programmes. The UN
Human Rights Office provides global coordination of the World Programme.
In 2011, all the countries belonging to the United Nations
reaffirmed their commitment to promoting and ensuring human rights education by
adopting the United Nations Declaration on
Human Rights Education and Training.
The movie has been jointly produced by the UN Human Rights
Office (OHCHR) and two non-governmental organizations, Human Rights Education
Associates (HREA) and Soka Gakkai International (SGI). The film, which
was launched at a side event to the UN Human Rights Council on 19 September
2012, is available in English and is subtitled in Arabic, Chinese, English,
French, Japanese, Russian and Spanish. “It can be viewed online at: http://www.path-to-dignity.org.”
Categories: Releases
