 U of T Human Rights at 50 U of T Human Rights at 50

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What are Human Rights?

Human rights belong to all people regardless of their sex, race, color, language, national origin, age, class, religion, or political beliefs They are universal, inalienable, indivisible, and interdependent People have the right to receive equal treatment, to be free from prohibited discrimination and harassment, and to have access to places, services, opportunities

Universality:  The character or state of being universal; existence or prevalence everywhere meaning universal inclusiveness in scope or range and relation, extension, or applicability to all Inalienable Rights:  Entitlements that are guaranteed and cannot be surrendered or transferred to another, for example, equality and liberty

Indivisible:  Not divisible; not separable into parts; incapable of being divided: one nation indivisible. Interdependent:  Mutually dependent; depending on each other. Prohibited:  To forbid by authority; to prevent; preclude.

 An unwelcome progression:  STEREOTYPE PREJUDICE DISCRIMINATION

Discrimination is often based on stereotypes – where a person creates an oversimplified, false or generalized portrayal of a group of peopleDiscrimination is often based on stereotypes – where a person creates an oversimplified, false or generalized portrayal of a group of people Stereotyping involves taking the characteristic of one member of a group and applying it to all members of a groupStereotyping involves taking the characteristic of one member of a group and applying it to all members of a group Stereotypes are often the basis of many ethnic or gender jokes – they can be offensiveStereotypes are often the basis of many ethnic or gender jokes – they can be offensive “All teenage male drivers are reckless drivers” is an example of stereotyping“All teenage male drivers are reckless drivers” is an example of stereotyping

 Prejudice is a preconceived opinion based on a stereotype or inadequate information  Individual merit and characteristics are not taken into account when a person is judging someone  There is no way of knowing all male drivers are reckless if opinions are based on a stereotype

 When someone’s behaviour or actions towards another is based on stereotypes and prejudices the result is DISCRIMINATION  Discrimination is illegal, unlike prejudice and stereotyping, because it violates the human rights of individuals Example: An owner of a pizza restaurant refuses to hire Joe as a pizza delivery driver because he thinks all teenage males are reckless drivers is discrimination

1.________ A pregnant woman is not hired because the employer does not want to keep her position open during maternity leave. 2.________ All young people are irresponsible 3.________ A student believes that all shopkeepers are unfair because a shopkeeper accused the student of stealing

4.________ Women are bad drivers 5.________ A student thinks his homosexual classmate will hit on him just because he is openly gay. 6.________ University students like to drink a lot. 7.________ A professor believes the older students in his first year university class are smarter than the younger ones 8.________ A woman in her thirties is treated better than a woman in her seventies by a store’s staff.

9.________ A man believes his rich neighbour works harder than his poorer neighbour. 10.________ A rich looking person is served before a poorer looking person at a restaurant 11.________ A coach thinks that all boys play better soccer than girls. 12.________ Women are more emotional than men

14.________ A female employee with more work experience is turned down for a job promotion in favour of her less-experienced male co-worker 15.________ Men are more adventurous than women

 What is considered prohibited varies from province to province  Usually includes protection from discrimination against race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, and family or marital status

 Adopted by the UN in 1948 as a direct result of the experiences of World War II  Represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are entitled  Printed in over 375 languages and dialects – it is the most translated document in the World  Canadian John Peters Humphrey was the principle drafter of the document

Sources of Human Rights in Canada Canadian Human Rights Act – protects citizens from discrimination in federal jurisdiction such as post office and federal employees ie) hiring, firing, access to facilities Provincial Human Rights Acts -protects citizens of each province against prohibited discrimination such as hiring, firing, renting ie) Ontario Human Rights Code Sources of Human Rights in Canada

 All provinces have human rights codes (ie. Ontario Human Rights Act) and are subject to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms  Human rights codes must be amended to reflect the Supreme Court’s judgements regarding the enforcement of the Charter  Example: Rights provided to gay and lesbian people under the Charter  Introduction to Human Rights in Ontario Introduction to Human Rights in Ontario

 Protects citizens from discrimination in federal jurisdiction such as crown corporations, post office and federal employees ie) hiring, firing, access to facilities Prohibits discrimination based on:  Race, colour, national or ethnic origin  Religion  Age  Sex, gender, marital and family status, and sexual orientation  Physical or mental disability  Pardoned criminal convictions  Addresses pay equity and hate messages