Development Of Human Rights Education Research Articles

The merging of knowledge and teaching about poverty through a participatory action project

ABSTRACT It is known among social work educators that training students about human rights is not only a mandate of the profession’s governing bodies but a desirable goal. While the notion of giving voice to the marginalized is not new to social work and is assumed to be a critical element of social justice, it is not always clear how best to manifest this in pedagogy and practice. This article introduces a training model that incorporates human rights and social work values and ethics. Based on participatory action research by ATD Fourth World, an anti-poverty organization, this training is led by people with lived experience of poverty and of child protection services in the UK. As lay experts and co-creators of knowledge, they guide students to a deeper understanding of the multiple dimensions of poverty and the impact of social work on their lives. This training challenges the power differentials typically embedded in client-clinician relations and focuses on the values underlying social work. This article explores the content and process of the training and implications for the development of human rights education in social work.

Sustainable Development of Human Rights Education in Greater China

In order to seek out the regularities of development and evaluate the development approach to human rights education in Greater China, this article compares and contrasts human rights education in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. It argues that human rights education has had its particularities and universalities during its development in the four regions, and that such education intends to identify and solve the most pressing challenges in order to achieve sustainability. The ideas about and approaches to human rights education in Greater China should be adjusted according to the sustainable development requirements. Ensuring and promoting the respect for human rights in society is the main goal of human rights education. Balanced development, independent development, the encouragement of and investment by the government and society in the subject and the high quantity and quality of available human rights teachers are the guarantees for a sustainable model of human rights education in Greater China.

ORGANISATIONAL AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE UN’s ACTIVITY CONCERNING HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION

The article focuses on the foundation and development of the universal legal basis of human rights education, which is an essential part of general education as an integral part of human rights. The provisions of general international legal instruments guaranteeing the right to education are analysed, in particular: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 1966, the Convention on the Rights of the Child of 1989. Special attention is paid to the provisions of specialized acts on the regulation of education. In particular, the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination in Education of 1960, adopted by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which defines the main components of the right to education, clarifies the term “discrimination” in the field of education, and state parties’ obligations to eliminate or prevent discrimination. The provisions of universal acts adopted within the World Conference on Human Rights, the World Education Forum are disclosed, in particular: the Vienna Declaration and the Action Plan, the World Declaration on Education for All and the basic framework for action to meet basic educational needs, the Dakar Framework for Action, education for everyone: fulfilling our collective commitments, the World Program in Education, the UN Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training, Education 2030 – Incheon Declaration – Towards inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all and others. Emphasis is placed on the activity of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and his / her chairmanship (OHCHR) on the development of human rights education. The focus is on the practical component of UNESCO’s activity in this area. Programs that operate under the auspices of a specialized institution are characterized by: a program to prevent violent extremism through education, education about the Holocaust and genocide, the importance of language in education, the rule of law through education. It focuses on the functioning of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which aims to assist Palestinian refugees in providing access to quality education. Relevant conclusions are made.

A perspective of controversy in human rights education: A curricular proposition

This article proposes introducing a strategy of controversy into human rights curriculum. First, it refers to the development of human rights education in Latin America and illustrates how controversy can be incorporated in the different disciplines of the curriculum. Second, the article shows how human rights from a controversial perspective can be included in different curricular educational programs, such as civic education, ethical education, education for peace, health education, environmental education, sex education, gender education, and multicultural education. It further argues that it is possible and desirable to incorporate controversial issues around several fundamental human rights, such as freedom, equality, justice, rights of solidarity, as well as economic, social, and cultural rights.

The development of human rights education in China

Purpose– There has been a lack of human rights education for a long period since New China was founded. Human rights education appeared at the university level in the 1990s, and has developed quickly over the past decade in mainland China. The purpose of this paper is to argue that human rights education in mainland China has had its own characteristics and problems during its development, and intends to identify and solve its problems in order to achieve sustainability.Design/methodology/approach– First, this paper surveys the development of human rights education in mainland China. Second, it summarizes its characteristics and problems objectively, and then gives some ideas and suggestions for its future sustainable development.Findings– Human rights education in mainland China has seen great improvement, although it also has its own characteristics and has had problems during its development. The ideas about and approaches to human rights education development in mainland China should be adjusted. Ensuring and promoting the respect of human rights in society is the main goal of human rights education. Balanced development, independent development, the encouragement of and investment by the government and society in the subject and the high quantity and quality of available human rights teachers are the guarantees for a sustainable model of human rights education in mainland China.Originality/value– This paper studies the history and current situation of human rights education in mainland China, summarizing its characteristics and existing problems completely and objectively. This paper states that human rights education in mainland China should change its theories and its approaches to development.

HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION: AN ANALYSING STUDY OF THE PROGRAMS OF STUDY OF GREEK PEDAGOGICAL DEPARTMENTS

The United Nations (UN) declared 1995-2004 the Decade for Human Rights Education (HRE); as a follow-up, a HRE World Program (2005-2009) was initiated, aiming at the support and development of sustainable national strategies and programs in HRE. Many higher education institutions and universities seized upon the opportunity and infused their curricula with the philosophy and principles of HRE. HRE is a type of education that promotes training, dissemination, and information efforts aiming at building a universal culture of human rights (HR) by imparting knowledge and skills and shaping attitudes. This paper presents a thorough quantitative content analysis of a descriptive assessment of HRE in all Greek Pedagogical Departments’ (GPD) Undergraduate Programs of Study (PS), where future Primary School Teachers (PST) and Preschool Educators (PE) are educated. A review of course titles and descriptions of the 19 PS of GPD was conducted to identify HR content. The results suggest that HR content is present in a variety of GPD courses. It is especially evident in 17 courses. The question arising and discussed is whether the attendance of such courses can lead to a robust and consistent implementation of HRE. Recommendations for further development of HRE in Pedagogical Departments (PD) are provided. Key words: Greek pedagogical departments, human rights education, programs of study, training of primary school teachers and preschool educators.

Comparative and International Education: A Bibliography (2008)

Comparative and International Education: A Bibliography (2008)

An ‘action‐poor’ human rights education: a critical review of the development of human rights education in the context of civic education in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, human rights education (HRE) is considered an aspect of civic education. For decades, HRE has been poorly attended. In 2009, a new compulsory subject, Liberal Studies, where HRE can be infused, will be introduced to senior secondary students (15–18 years old). This article reviews the development of HRE within civic education, followed by the analysis of Liberal Studies documents with reference to international human rights documents. It is concluded that Liberal Studies can be used as a vehicle for HRE. The aims and pedagogy proposed are similar to those adopted by HRE. International standards of human rights can be incorporated in the content. However, the HRE derived from Liberal Studies is a form of ‘action‐poor HRE’. Whether this ‘action‐ poor HRE’ can adequately cultivate a universal human rights culture is an issue for further research.

Dialogue and Dignity - Linking Human Rights Education with Paulo Freire's "Education for Liberation"

Viewed in the context of the United Nations Decade for Human Rights (1995-2004), it is clear that Paulo Freire's Education for Liberation and Human Rights (as it develops), have two core concepts of participation and empowerment in common. Participation is seen as the active involvement of individuals and groups in social, economic or political activities, while empowerment is viewed as the strengthening of individuals and groups and their liberation from oppressive conditions which crush human dignity. This article examines the development of Human Rights (HRE) which grew from UN International Human Rights Conventions, and which resulted in a common understanding of and basis for HRE. Not many authors (e.g. in Europe or the United States of America) currently involved in the development of human rights education rely on Paulo Freire's work as their main source of inspiration. In Latin America, however, the work of Paulo Freire is well-established and is referred to in current education discourse and practice. This article endeavours to link some of the core concepts of Freire's work to human rights education with a view to understanding education as a process of liberation involving dignity, dialogue and dissent. To this end, Paulo Freire's work is examined from the perspective of the German educational theorist and philosopher Gottfried Mergner who developed a theory on the social limits to learning and critically discussed Freire's work.

Human Rights Education and Curricular Reform in South Africa

In this paper we chronicle the development of Human Rights Education (HRE) in South Africa within contemporary structures and processes of curricular reform in the country. We argue that human rights have been constituted as a discursive regime within education that traverses all education policy texts: laws, white papers, guidelines, recommendations and regulations. As such it has found a distinct expression in the new schools' curricula for General Education and Training (GET) and Further Education and Training (FET). We explore the history, processes and structures related to the infusion of human rights into the curriculum in two ways. First, the codification of HRE in the curricula is a product of a continuity and discontinuity with the anti-apartheid struggle for social justice and resistance to apartheid education. Second, the centrality of HRE in the curricula in South Africa is driven by a compliance-approach aimed at meeting an array of international obligations as far as HRE is concerned. In this compliance with global directives HRE in educational policy texts become political symbolic articulations that derive its 'logic' in large measure from the human rights language that is constructed within the systems of the United Nations.

Human Rights Education

This article presents a descriptive assessment of human rights education within schools of social work and law. A review of course titles and descriptions within MSW programs and law programs was conducted for identification of human rights content. The results suggest a dearth of human rights content in social work curricula and a great disparity between schools of social work and schools of law in the integration of human rights in graduate level education. Recommendations for further development of human rights education are provided.

Meeting the challenge of human rights education: the case of Hong Kong

Since 1 July l997 Hong Kong has become a Special Administrative Region under the Peoples Republic of China. There is a difference in the interpretation of human rights between East and West. Even before the change of sovereignty human rights education was not an important element in the Hong Kong school curricula. The hidden curriculum is not supportive of human rights education either. During the United Nation Decade for Human Rights Education (1995–2005), Hong Kong people are torn between the dichotomy of liberalism-communitarianism over human rights. This paper examines the attitude about human rights of the Hong Kong Chinese people and the issues of human rights in Hong Kong schools, thereby throwing light on the prospect of human rights education in its relationship to education reform taking place in Hong Kong. The conclusion is that Hong Kongs education reform proposals already embody the spirit of human rights and they have laid the foundation for the development of human rights education.