Jilly Hunt - Human Rights for All

1. 1450 to 1850 : Transatlantic Slave Trade forces massive numbers of Africans from their homeland and brings them across the Atlantic to serve as slaves in the Americas
2. 1833 : The Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 abolishes slavery throughout the British Empire
3. 1865 : 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolishes slavery in the United States
4. 1939 to 1945 : World War II
5. 1945 : The United Nations is formed on October 24th
6. 1946 : The United Nations establishes UNICEF to focus on the needs of children
7. 1948 : Countries of the UN agree to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or UDHR
8. 1964 : Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in the United States
9. 1965 : U.S. Voting Rights Act is signed into law with the goal of ensuring that African Americans can freely exercise their constitutional right to vote
10. 1981 : Mauritania is the last country to abolish slavery
11. 2011 : The Syrian civil war begins with a peaceful protest
12. 2012 : Pakistani school girl Malala Yousafzai is shot in the head by the Taliban for going to school Botswana judge overturns a law that discriminates against women
13. 2015 : The UN announces global goals for education 98,400 child refugees are registered without parents or family
14. 2016 : UNESCO reports that 263 million children and adolescents are not attending school

National news websites and newspapers are a good way of keeping up-to-date with the latest information about topical issues.

Museums and memorials around the world help keep memories alive.

1. www.jewishmuseum.org.uk/Home
   Jewish Museum, London
2. www.nationalholocaustcentre.net
   The National Holocaust Centre and Museum, Nottinghamshire

1. Brown, Dinah. Who Is Malala Yousafzai? Who Is...? New York: Grosset and Dunlap, 2015.
2. Freeburg, Jessica. Fight for Survival: The Story of the Holocaust. Tangled History. North Mankato, Minn.: Capstone Press, 2017.
3. Senker, Cath. Stephen Hawking. Against the Odds. Chicago: Heinemann Raintree, 2015.
4. Throp, Claire. Malala Yousafzai. Against the Odds. Chicago: Heinemann Raintree, 2015.

CHILD SLAVERY SPARKS OUTRAGE

PRESIDENT QUESTIONED ON HUMAN RIGHTS

CONCERN FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

Weve all seen headlines like this about human rights. But how much do we really know about this issue?

Human rights start with accepting that every person deserves to be treated equally. It means that people should not be treated differently because of the color of their skin, or their gender, religion, or language. Human rights means that everybody is born free and not into slavery.

For centuries people have argued in favor of human rights. The ancient Greek Socrates (470/469399 bc) wrote that human rights were part of natural justice or natural law. People argued against human rights abuses, such as the Transatlantic Slave Trade. People continue to argue against human rights abuses that are happening in the world today.

Around 6 million Jews were killed in Nazi during WWII. The Nazis attempted to completely wipe out the Jewish people. An attempt such as this is now known as genocide. This photo shows a pile of Holocaust victims shoes.

After . These nations also wanted to protect peoples human rights. The horrific human rights abuses committed by the Nazis against Jews in WWII had not been forgotten. In 1948, countries of the United Nations agreed a statement of the rights that every human deserved. This statement is called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or UDHR.

Prisoners at a Nazi concentration camp during WWII

DID YOU KNOW?

The Universal Declaration has been translated into over 200 languages.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights declares that: all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and are entitled to the rights and freedoms set out in the Declaration without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex, language, political opinion, or religion.

Human rights includes the right for all children to get an education.

Free Will

An important part of human rights is the idea of free will. A person shouldnt be forced into doing something against his or her free will. Human rights abuses often involve someone trying to control another person. For example, practices such as slavery or forcing a person to work against his or her will are human rights abuses.

DID YOU KNOW?

South Africa has increased the number of human rights in its laws including the right to use the language of an individuals choice. This means a person is not forced into speaking an official language.

South Africa used to have a segregation policy that discriminated against people because of their race. This was a violation of human rights.

GOOD NEWS

In 2016, the ICC convicted Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, the former Vice President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for war crimes. The ICC relied on help from member states. The Belgian government arrested him, and the Portuguese authorities monitored his bank accounts to discover when and where money was withdrawn.

Progress with Human Rights

The protection of human rights has moved on since the introduction of the UDHR. The UN has set up a Commission on Human Rights which investigates large-scale human rights issues. The International Criminal Court (ICC) aims to try cases related to war crimes,, and crimes against humanity. The court can accuse even current leaders with a crime but they dont have the power to actually arrest the person. The ICC, therefore, relies upon other heads of states and governments to arrest and hand over wanted people. This hasnt always happened. For example, Sudans President, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, is wanted by the ICC. He is thought to have committed crimes during the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan. However, other countries have ignored the arrest warrant.

THINK ABOUT IT

Should we all have the same rights? In prison, prisoners lose some of their rights, mainly their right to freedom but also their right to vote. Do you think criminals should have the same rights as everyone else?

Chapter 2

WHATS BEYOND THE HEADLINES ABOUT THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM?