Mediation & Conflict Resolution Human Rights Mediation & Conflict Resolution

What are human rights? Human rights belong to everybody Every human right is important and needed for human beings to live and grow

What do human beings need to live? What do human beings need to survive? What things help us to grow physically? What things help us to succeed in life? All human beings, have similar basic needs: nutritious food, health care, shelter, education, protection from harm and more.

Human Rights Human beings need these thing to live and grow and to be human. Needs are different to wants. Wants are not necessary for a person to survive, grow and develop. Everyone of us has the right to have these needs fulfilled. These rights are called human rights.

Human Rights Human rights support all areas of our lives, for example: Right to education Right to have your own thoughts, beliefs and religion Right to vote in elections once you reach the voting age Right not to be required to do forced labor and not to be treated as a slave You can think of human rights as a set of rules that state what we all need to live and grow, and how we should treat each other.

Human rights belong to everyone from when they are born. Although they can sometimes be restricted, human rights can never be taken away from you. There are different laws that protect everyone’s human rights

Human Rights Quiz Most human beings have human rights FALSE: ALL human beings have human rights Is it a human right to have an education? YES: Human beings are entitled to an education Is a human right to own a smart phone? NO: This is a want, not a human need Every human right is needed, in order for people to live and grow TRUE

History of Human Rights 1215: Magna Carta is issued and challenges the monarch’s power and aims to protect people’s rights. For example, it stated the King should no longer have freedom to punish an individual except through the law of the land. 1689: Parliament agrees the Bill of Rights which set limits on the power of the monarch and sets out rights for all Englishmen, including freedom to petition the Monarch without fear of retribution.

History of Human Rights World War 2: About six million European Jews were killed - about two-thirds of the population of European Jews. Millions more murdered included Romani gypsy, homosexuals, people with disabilities and other political and religious opponents. Total number of Holocaust victims - between 11 million and 17 million people killed!

History of Human Rights The international community came together to discuss ways to make sure events like the Holocaust never happened again.

History of Human Rights The United Nations put together the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). It includes 30 rights that every human needs to grow and flourish. Countries around the world started to agree to the UDHR in 1948. The UDHR started the development of human rights laws all around the world.

Federal Human Rights Law (U.S.) The Office of Human Rights (OHR) enforces several laws that protect individuals from unlawful discrimination: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 Age Discrimination in Employment Act Equal Pay Act Pregnancy Discrimination Act

Why do we need human rights laws? Laws help to make human rights a reality in people’s lives. Instead of just saying the Government should respect people’s rights, it makes it law that they MUST. And if they don’t then the courts can hold the Government to account!

Balancing Human Rights Some human rights can be limited Some human rights are absolute Human rights need to be balanced to protect individuals and wider society

Limiting Human Rights Sometimes our human rights need to be limited. They can be limited if one person is using their rights in a way that threatens another person or wider society. For example, if the police suspected that someone was carrying a gun, would it be ok to limit their right to respect for private and family life by searching them? In this instance, by limiting the suspect’s right to respect for private and family life, the police could help to protect public safety. Consider: our rights to express our views and opinions, how those views are expressed, and whether it should be limited

Limit…. Or Not Limit? Scenario 1: The school suspects that a student has a knife in their bag. The professor could limit the student’s right if it posed a threat to the safety of other pupils. They could limit the student’s right to respect for private and family life by searching the student’s bag.

Limit… or Not Limit? Scenario 2: A Muslim student asks the Head Teacher if they can hold a debate about Islamic Fundamentalism. The professor could allow the student to hold the debate but could limit their right to express their views and opinions by stating that the student is not allowed to criticize homosexuality, make sexist comments or take a negative line towards other religions / beliefs. This could be limited to protect other students’ right to have their own thoughts, beliefs and religion and to prevent disorder.

Limit… or Not Limit? Scenario 3: Students hold a demonstration on school grounds against tuition fees but the protest turns violent. To protect the safety and rights of the other people in the school and to prevent disorder, the Head Teacher could cancel the demonstration, limiting the student’s right to get together with other people in a peaceful way.

Absolute Human Rights Not every human right can be limited. Some must be upheld in all circumstances! These are called absolute rights. For example, is it ever ok to torture someone or hurt them badly? The absolute right not to be tortured or treated in a way that is cruel or humiliating can never be limited or taken away. Cruelty can never be allowed!

Human Rights Human rights provide a standard for how the Government should treat its citizens and they are there to protect individuals. However, because some can be limited in certain circumstances it means people can disagree about how and when they should be limited or exercised. But human rights provide a framework that can be used to discuss and debate different issues.

Human Rights It is important to recognise that we all have human rights. Sometimes your human rights might conflict with another person’s human rights and may need to be balanced. When everyone’s human rights are balanced and protected, it can help everyone to get along and live together happily.

Equality and Human Rights Matter Human rights and equality are about making sure everyone is treated fairly, with dignity and respect. And that everyone has an equal chance to develop and reach their potential. It is important that we all help to promote equality and human rights for everyone!

National Center for Civil and Human Rights Wednesday, April 15th $10 Cash Meeting at Classroom 20 min walk Or drive, take street car