Human rights education

The human rights education should lead to the ability to exercise its own rights and the other actively for his own rights and the rights.

definition

According to the United Nations declaration, human rights education and training include “all activities in the areas of education, training, information, awareness-raising, awareness-raising and learning aimed at promoting universal respect for and observance of all human rights and fundamental freedoms”. In this way, human rights education can help identify and prevent human rights violations and abuses, and support the development of a culture of human rights in society. In order to be able to do this, the actors need knowledge, skills and understanding of human rights and their implementation and the opportunity to exchange and reflect on and develop attitudes and behaviors in this regard. Human rights education and training is a lifelong process that affects all age groups and should take place at all levels of society. This includes all forms of learning, education and training from early childhood to adult education and training, in formal, non-formal and informal contexts, in the public and private sectors. Human rights education also takes place in the dissemination of information, awareness-raising and awareness-raising among the public. The choice of content and methods should be based on the target group and the needs and requirements of the participants.

Human rights education comprises the level of knowledge, the level of awareness and the level of action and can thus be divided into “education over-for-through human rights”, whereby the areas overlap and all aspects must be taken into account for successful implementation. Education about human rights means the level of knowledge and means the "provision of knowledge and an understanding of norms and principles of human rights as well as the values and mechanisms underlying them for their protection". Education through human rights means the level of consciousness and means “forms of learning and teaching that respect the rights of both teachers and learners”. Education for human rights means the level of action and “means empowering people to perceive and exercise their rights and to respect and uphold the rights of others”.

On December 10, 2004, the General Assembly proclaimed the world program for human rights education, which will run until 2019.

Legal anchoring

An important document for defining the content of human rights education is the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 19, 2011. This is not legally binding, but represents an up-to-date frame of reference in that it reflects the common understanding of the states. It expresses the importance of human rights education for the observance and respect of human rights. Article 1 of this declaration makes it clear that everyone should have knowledge of and access to human rights and human rights education. This is "essential for promoting universal respect for and observance of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, in accordance with the principles of universality, indivisibility and interdependence of human rights".

Human rights education is closely linked to the right to education, both condition and promote each other and are aimed at everyone and all ages. The aim of education is the development of personality, the development of an awareness of one's own dignity, respect for others, preparation for a responsible life and participation in society. This development and reflection of norms and values, their relevance for one's own life and the ability to stand up for one's own rights and those of others, can be supported and supplemented by human rights education not only in school, but also outside of school. In a culture of living and learning that is shaped by human rights, children and young people can experience principles such as freedom, equality and solidarity, try out their implementation and are thus included in the shaping of society.

The right to education can be found in different legal documents, which strengthens its importance and its mandate as a lifelong educational and discussion process:

Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Article 13 of the UN social pact

Article 29 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Article 24 paragraph 1a of the UN Disability Rights Convention

In addition, there is the educational policy obligation of the state to combat discrimination, as described in

Article 10c of the UN Convention on Women’s Rights

Article 7 of the UN Convention on Racial Discrimination

and ensure that no one is prevented from exercising this right through exclusion and discrimination.

Goal of human rights education

According to Art 4 of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training, the aim of human rights education is to create “awareness, understanding and acceptance of the universal norms and principles of human rights, as well as guarantees at international, regional and national level for the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms to strengthen ". It is about promoting through human rights education “a universal culture of human rights in which everyone is aware of their own rights and responsibility towards the rights of others, and about the development of the individual as a responsible member of a free, peaceful, pluralistic and to promote inclusive society ”. This is about the actual realization and consideration of all human rights as well as the promotion of tolerance, non-discrimination and equality of all people with regard to the validity of their rights. This can also be found in the desired equality of opportunity in and through "access to high quality human rights education and training". Human rights education and training contributes to the "prevention of human rights violations and assaults as well as to the fight and elimination of all forms of discrimination, racism, prejudice, incitement to hatred and the underlying harmful attitudes and prejudices".

Differentiation of this goal and its importance for the implementation

The aim of human rights education is to relate human rights to people's everyday lives and to identify situations in which observance of the rights of individuals is at risk. The aim is to shape and further develop social coexistence in accordance with the statements of human rights. Human rights education can help ensure that individual and social conflicts are adequately resolved and that the present and future are shaped as fairly as possible. By referring to human rights, there is a universal measure of action that applies regardless of political convictions, worldview, religion, tradition, etc. and thus offers protection against state power, social exclusion, discrimination and individual attacks.

Human rights education helps to develop a “culture of human rights” by creating an awareness that the same rights apply to every human being and that, when dealing with one another, it is a matter of relating one's own rights to the rights of others to balance. In human rights education and in dealing with social and individual life situations, mutual respect and solidarity with the other, the recognition of one's dignity, the encounter at eye level and the commitment to common rights are important aspects. The prerequisite for this culture of human rights is the general acceptance of human rights as a “binding requirement for the state and as a benchmark for social and interpersonal action”. This also includes the awareness that human rights apply to all people (universality), a particular challenge in an increasingly diverse society. In addition, the indivisibility of human rights must be observed: They are mutually dependent and interdependent, none is worth more than another, it is about the balance between different perspectives and needs.

Human rights education is a lifelong process for people of all ages, but especially for children and young people. For the development of a “culture of human rights” it is useful and necessary to bring young people into contact with human rights education at an early stage and thus enable them to deal with their own rights, but also with those of others, and to stand up for them. As a designer of future social processes, you can gain experience at an early stage and participate in this development process according to your skills. In order for them to do this and to be accompanied in this, it is necessary that adults also deal with human rights education and thus be role models and supporters, but also actors and society shapers themselves.

Other important goals of human rights education are equal opportunities for all in access to high quality human rights education and the fight against discrimination, racism, prejudice, incitement to hatred and their underlying attitudes and attitudes (see United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training, 2011 , Art. 4).

Basics of content and responsibility in implementation

As part of human rights, human rights education is indispensable for dealing with human rights, their development and implementation. Human rights education is based on the underlying social contexts and the requirements of the learner as well as his current environment. It considers legal and political, but also educational and preventive aspects of human rights. Human rights education not only means knowing and communicating human rights, but also respecting and protecting them, demanding them, monitoring them and protecting them. Human rights education is thus the transfer of knowledge and values.

The state, in which it enables and supports human rights education, is primarily responsible for the realization of human rights and thus also human rights education. Human rights education is aimed at everyone as a bearer of rights, but also at people as a bearer of duties, e.g. B. to those working in governments, administrations, health care, education etc. with the task of observing human rights and enabling human rights education. In order to carry out this task, these groups of people need appropriate training and supportive framework conditions as well as networking with other supporters as well as complaints in order to make human rights violations clear and to be able to act on them.

The values underlying human rights and thus human rights education are freedom, solidarity and equality. An important aspect of human rights education is tolerance in the sense of the recognition of equal rights in the counterpart and the simultaneous acceptance of different life plans and human diversity ("The tolerance of difference follows from the acceptance of equality", Fritzsche 2004, 3).

literature

Peter Amsler, Claudia Lohrenscheit, Lutz Möller, Sandra Reitz, August Rössner, Dieter Zabel: Standards of human rights education in schools . (PDF; 1.1 MB) Human Rights Forum , 2006.

Volker Lenhart: Pedagogy of Human Rights . Leske + Budrich, Opladen 2003, ISBN 3-8100-3726-5 .

Claudia Lohrenscheit: The right to human rights education . Basics and approaches of a pedagogy of human rights . (PDF; 1.5 MB) IKO-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2004, ISBN 3-88939-718-2 .

Web links

Human Rights Education - German UNESCO Commission eV (DUK)
Information on human rights education from the German Institute for Human Rights
German coordination group for human rights education at Amnesty international
Topic dossier on human rights education at Humanrights.ch

Center for Human Rights Education (ZMRB)

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training, 2011. UNESCO
↑ World Program for Human Rights Education (2005-ongoing)
^ Resolutions of the General Assembly (2011). 66/137: United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training. (PDF) UN.org, December 19, 2011, accessed March 26, 2017 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Sandra Reitz, Beate Rudolf: Human rights education for children and young people. Findings and recommendations for German education policy . Ed .: German Institute for Human Rights. 2014.
↑ ^a ^b Klaus Peter Fritzsche: Human Rights Education: Why we need it and what it is. A profile in 15 theses. Ed .: Wolfgang Edelstein and Peter Fauser. Berlin 2004.

[UN-erkl-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training, 2011. UNESCO

[2] World Program for Human Rights Education (2005-ongoing)

[3] Resolutions of the General Assembly (2011). 66/137: United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training. (PDF) UN.org, December 19, 2011, accessed March 26, 2017 .

[:0-4] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Sandra Reitz, Beate Rudolf: Human rights education for children and young people. Findings and recommendations for German education policy . Ed .: German Institute for Human Rights. 2014.

[:1-5] Klaus Peter Fritzsche: Human Rights Education: Why we need it and what it is. A profile in 15 theses. Ed .: Wolfgang Edelstein and Peter Fauser. Berlin 2004.