Youth for Human Rights

DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR YOUTH FOR HUMAN RIGHTS PSAS

Discussion Guide Page 1 of 10 Youth For Human Rights PSAs

DISCUSSION GUIDE YOUTH FOR HUMAN RIGHTS PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS

ABOUT THE PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS Youth for Human Rights is an international non-profit human rights organization that promotes human rights education amongst youth. To that end, Youth for Human Rights developed a series of 30-second public service announcements (PSAs) based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).1 The PSAs are available on the following website: www.youthforhumanrights.org

ABOUT THE DISCUSSION GUIDE This discussion guide is developed by the NWT Human Rights Commission to provide examples of how the Youth for Human Rights PSAs can be used to stimulate discussion in the classroom about the UDHR and human rights more broadly. This discussion guide is suitable for middle school and high school social studies classes. The content of this discussion guide can take up to one hour of classroom time, depending on the level of class participation.

CONTENTS Introduction to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights............................................................................ 2

PSA 1: “We are all born free and equal” .......................................................................................................... 2

PSA 2: “Don’t Discriminate”............................................................................................................................ 3

PSA 4: “Slavery” ............................................................................................................................................. 4

PSA 11: “Innocent until Proven Guilty” ........................................................................................................... 5

PSA 12: “Right to Privacy” ............................................................................................................................... 6

PSA 13: “Freedom to Move”............................................................................................................................ 7

PSA 22: “Social Security” ................................................................................................................................. 8

PSA 23: “Workers’ Rights” ............................................................................................................................... 9

PSA 29: “Responsibility” ................................................................................................................................ 10

1 Youth for Human Rights International is a secular organization that was founded in part by the Church of Scientology.

http://www.youthforhumanrights.org/


INTRODUCTION TO THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

INTRODUCE TOPIC • Talk about human rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. • Refer to hand-out UDHR and that you’ll be referring to it during the discussion.

DEFINITIONS Read during introduction and/or make reference to the following during discussions • Human Rights: Every person is entitled to certain rights – simply by the fact that they are a human

being. They are “rights” because they are things you are allowed to be, to do, or to have. These rights are there for your protection against people who might want to harm or hurt you. They are also there to help us get along with each other and live in peace.

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights: The UDHR is a document created in 1948 by the United Nations. The purpose of the UDHR is to list all of the human rights that we are entitled to. The purpose is also to bring peace to the world through respect for human rights. The Declaration is Universal because the rights are for all and shared by all (for example, the need for food is universal.)

PSA 1: “WE ARE ALL BORN FREE AND EQUAL”

DISCUSSION QUESTION What does it mean to you – free and equal?

DEFINITIONS • Free: We are free when we can make choices about our jobs, our education, about the care of our

bodies and which religion we believe in or choose not to believe in. Being free means being able to make decisions about our lives; not under the unwanted control of another.

• Equal: Having the same rights and opportunities as others. Example: The men and women had equal chances to apply for the job.

DISCUSSION QUESTION Can you think of examples of what happens when one group in society is not treated as free and equal? • Many aboriginal people in Canada were placed in residential schools sometimes against their will. They

were often victims of sexual and physical violence. • The Government of Canada had a policy of assimilation for the Aboriginal people. Aboriginal people in

Canada could not vote until 1969. • Nazi Germany: Jewish people’s rights were diminished; they were confined to specific neighbourhoods

to live; they were denied livelihoods; their businesses were taken away; they were denied mobility (the right to leave the country); and they were forced to wear the Star of David on an armband to separate them from the rest of society. This was before Jewish people were taken to the concentration camps and were ordered exterminated by Adolf Hitler.


PSA 2: “DON’T DISCRIMINATE”

DISCUSSION QUESTION What does “discriminate” mean in this video? • It means excluding or making fun of someone because of negative assumptions based on that person’s

appearance. • No one objected to the discrimination or stood up for the victim.

DEFINITION Discriminate: To show an unfair difference in treatment; to deny equal rights to certain groups of people. Example: Under the Taliban rule in Afghanistan, girls were not allowed to go school or to get jobs. While this is no longer the law in Afghanistan, Afghani women and girls must still fight discrimination when it comes to education and employment.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Are the following examples of discrimination? Why do you think these are discrimination? • A student is being bullied at school because of how they look or because they are gay. • Someone is not hired for a job because they have a disability. Can you think of other examples of discrimination? Why do you think it violates human rights to discriminate? • People are not being treated equally. They are denied the right to fully participate (in soccer, or in

school). Their self-esteem and self-worth is effected, which affects them in life.


PSA 4: “SLAVERY”

DISCUSSION QUESTION In this video, what are examples of slavery? • The slave trade; the practice of bringing slaves from Africa to the United States in the 1700s and 1800s. • The use of child labour in factories. • The sexual exploitation of women and children. • The use of slaves in the United States from the 1600-1800s.

DEFINITION Slavery: A system involving force to make people work, usually for very little or no pay; using threats, violence, or lies to make people provide some kind of service that they are unwilling to do. Example: Slavery still happens in many countries, even though it is against international law. There are an estimated 27 million slaves alive today. The majority, up to 20 million, are forced labourers in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. About 14% of Haiti’s under-18 population, or 300,000 children, are restaveks – children working as domestic slaves. Thirty percent receive only one meal per day. (source: www.freetheslaves.net).

DISCUSSION QUESTION Why is slavery a violation of human rights? • Slavery takes away personal choice and freedom. • It is a form of discrimination - based on the assumption that one class of people is less worthy, or

deserving of choice and freedom. • Shows disregard for human beings; treats them like property.


PSA 11: “INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY”

DISCUSSION AND COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS: Why did the girl think the guy stole her phone?

• The way he was dressed, the colour of his skin.

What name did she call him? • She called him “homey” – short form of “homeboy”, often used to describe American Latino or

Black gang members.

What was he asking her over and over again? • He was asking her where her evidence and witnesses were. He was asking where her proof was.

DEFINITIONS Racial profiling: Racial Profiling means using the race or ethnicity of a person to determine whether that person is likely to commit a crime. It makes negative assumptions about individuals based on race, and it is a form of discrimination. Racial profiling also assumes guilt before innocence. Example: An RCMP officer pulled over a successful Vancouver dentist (Kary Taylor), because, as the Officer explained to his partner, he saw a "black man in a nice car with an oriental female", and thought they might be a pimp and a prostitute. When Dr. Taylor questioned why he was being stopped, the Officer pulled out his gun, put Dr. Taylor in a choke hold and pressed the gun to Dr. Taylor’s forehead. The Officer was charged and convicted for assault for his actions.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS What effect did the girl’s accusations have on the students who were standing around? • Students are formed into two groups, arguing and yelling at each other. • It was divisive and created conflict.

What could the girl have done differently? • Most importantly – she could have chosen not to assume that someone stole her phone, without any

proof, and she could have chosen not to falsely accuse an individual based on his race and how he was dressed.

• She could have asked her friends if they had seen her cell phone. • She could have retraced her steps to look for her phone rather than assuming that someone stole it.

Why is the human right to be “innocent until proven guilty” important in society? • It protects us from false or wrong accusations. • It means that the police and the justice system must ensure that they have evidence and conduct a

proper trial before finding someone guilty of a crime and imprisoning them.


PSA 12: “RIGHT TO PRIVACY”

DISCUSSION QUESTION Why is privacy important?

• Privacy is about choice and control over what belongs to us – our information. We have the right to own our private thoughts, information, and ideas and we should be able to control what is made public about us, for example, personal diaries and medical records.

In the video, what would have happened if the student’s privacy was not respected? • Her secret crush would have been revealed and ridiculed. She would have been teased and

embarrassed; her reputation damaged. It could also embarrass the person she had a crush upon because he would be teased as well.

• The right to privacy protects us from unwanted intrusions into our private life, thoughts, and writings.

DEFINITION Privacy: Freedom from secret observation, intrusion or attention of others; freedom from unwanted and enforced observation, intrusion or attention of others. Example: A person’s personal information is stolen (identity theft) and used to commit fraud and other crimes.


PSA 13: “FREEDOM TO MOVE”

READ ALOUD Article 13 of the UDHR (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.

DISCUSSION QUESTION What does the “Freedom to Move” mean to you? • It could mean

o Opportunity – for education, travel o Freedom of choice – to go where you want, to live where you want o Potential – to experience, to learn, to grow

Can you think of an example of a Canadian Citizen who was denied his freedom of movement?

• At one time (1885), aboriginal people were not allowed to leave their reserves to live on another reserve (after marriage, for example). It was considered a criminal offence and subject to arrest.

• Right now, people who travel to the US and are on the US government “no fly” or “watch” list are detained and may be deported to their country of birth. Canadian Maher Arar is one example. He was deported to Syria, his birth country. Once there, he was interrogated and tortured. There is no evidence that he is a terrorist, yet he is not allowed to travel to the United States.


PSA 22: “SOCIAL SECURITY”

DISCUSSION QUESTION Based on the video, what is social security?

• It means support from others when, for reasons out of your control, you need help. Who provides social security?

• Social security can come from family and friends. • It can also come from government in the form of support payments, social housing or health care.

Do you think that social security is important? Why or why not? • It can be important if you become disabled and can no longer work to support your family. • Social security can make us feel confident that there will be help when we need it, for example, if

we are in an accident and can no longer work, or when we need help in our old age. • Social security contributes to peace in a society by “spreading the wealth” and avoiding situations

where people live in extreme poverty with no support next to those that live in extreme wealth.

DEFINITIONS Social: Having to do with human beings living together as a group in a situation in which their dealings with one another affect their common welfare. Security: Being or feeling secure; freedom from fear, anxiety, danger, and doubt; a state or sense of safety or certainty. Social Security: A system where governments provide financial help or services for those in need. Governments will collect taxes from everyone, so that everyone contributes their share for when they need the financial help or services. Social Security programs are often called “social safety nets”. Examples: Health care, income assistance, public housing, disability benefits, old age pension, are all examples of social security programs.


PSA 23: “WORKERS’ RIGHTS”

READ ALOUD Article 23 of the UDHR

(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.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS What kinds of rights do you have at work?

• Minimum wage • Vacation time • Safe working conditions • Overtime pay • To join or form a union • To be not discriminated against in the workplace.

Why are workplace rights important? • Protects against exploitation of workers • Contributes to social security and peace by minimizing strikes, workers protests, and protecting

against poverty.

DEFINITION Trade Union: An organization of workers formed for the purpose of negotiating with their employer for things like wages, benefits, and working conditions. Workers will form a “union” when they all feel that they have poor working conditions and agree to work together to better their work conditions. Example: The NWT Teacher’s Association is the professional association that represents teachers when negotiating teaching contracts with the Government of the Northwest Territories.


PSA 29: “RESPONSIBILITY”

READ ALOUD Article 29 of the UDHR says that we have a duty to other people, and we should protect their rights and freedoms. For every human right, there is an equal responsibility. For example, Human Right Responsibility Right to Privacy Responsibility to respect others’ privacy and to not spread private information that

is harmful or embarrassing. Freedom of expression

Responsibility to use my speech respectfully and not to: • verbally bully and harass fellow students; • use speech to incite others to racial or sexual harassment or violence; • gossip and spread hurtful and untrue rumours about others; and • use words to create conflict

Freedom from discrimination

The responsibility not to discriminate against others.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS This question can also be assigned in the form of an essay, or group project. In this video, the youth are taking responsibility by “reading rights” to people and educating them about their human rights. What can you do to improve human rights for yourself and others?

• Treat everyone with respect. • Volunteer some time to support literacy, a food bank, a homeless shelter, and others that need

“social security”. • Take care of your environment so that you and others can enjoy good health. • If you see someone being teased or bullied, speak up to protect the victim. • When you see friends in conflict, help them to resolve the conflict. • Write letters to your government about human rights issues that you think are important. • Ask your school to teach more about human rights. • Start a club on human rights issues or hold a fundraising event at school for a human rights project,

for example, “Pennies for Peace” raises funds for school libraries in poor countries. Visit: www.penniesforpeace.org for more information.

• Visit Amnesty International’s website and find out how you can support their work; for example, sign a petition, write an online letter, or host an Amnesty International write-a-thon in your school.

• As Mahatma Gandhi once said: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Be an example of a human rights leader in your school through your words and your behaviour. Encourage and support others to do the same.

http://www.penniesforpeace.org/

Documents

Youth for Human Rights