Step #4 - Activity [Digging Deeper]

Step Four: Digging Deeper An activity to get to know international Human Rights instruments beyond the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and identify their impact on world events.

Digging Deeper For Step #4 of Right On, International Junior Branch will explore specific Human Rights instruments which go beyond the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) of 1948. Furthermore, we will discuss their impact and effectiveness. These instruments are:

■ The Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) - Material 1a, 2a

■ The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) - Material 1b, 2b

■ The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007) - Material 1c, 2c

ASK – Attitudes, Skills, Knowledge After completing this activity, participants should have developed the following: Attitudes (Willingness to):

■ Willingness to expand one’s knowledge on Human Rights conventions and similar documents Skills (Ability to):

■ Ability to identify what effect international Human Rights conventions have had on world events Knowledge (Understanding of):

■ Specific international Human Rights instruments going beyond the UDHR

Basic Information & Preparation ▪ Time: about 1h 20min ▪ Material: printouts of material listed below, large pieces of paper, pens.

The Activity - Do, Reflect, Generalize, Apply Do (30 minutes) 1. Divide the groups into three equal sized groups (groups A, B and C) 2. Divide these groups into sub-groups of approximately four participants.

3. Give each sub-group of group A a copy of Material 1a, each sub-group of group B a copy of Material 1b and each sub-group of group C a copy of Material 1c. Also give each sub-group a large piece of paper.

4. Within each group, read the material and make sure the scenario described is understood.

5. It is now each sub-group’s task to create a visualization of the scenario they have been given on a large piece of paper. To help explain the task, you can use the following instructions: ■ Create a flowchart using drawings, arrows, etc.

■ Which people are involved? How do they relate to each other?

■ What are their motives and/or interests?

(Illustration at top of page taken from Bowl of Rights by CISV Norway / CISV Colombia – see further reading section.)

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Reflect & Generalize (30 minutes) • Each group now moves on to another scenario in the following way (see below).

• Form new sub-groups of four participants within each group (A, B and C).

• Each newly formed sub-group sits down at a poster another sub-group created in the ‘Do’ part of the activity.

• Give each sub-group of group C Material 2a, each sub-group of group A Material 2b and each sub-group of group B a copy of Material 2c.

(Illustration at top of page taken from Bowl of Rights by CISV Norway / CISV Colombia – see further reading section.)

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1. Give all participants the following instructions: ■ First, look at the poster your group is now sitting at. Briefly discuss the scenario.

■ Next, read the material you’ve been given (Materials 2a, 2b or 2c). These are more detailed descriptions of the same scenario as the poster you’re sitting at.

■ Discuss: What is missing from the poster?

■ Now, by drawing, add what your sub-group thinks is missing to the poster.

(Ideally in a different color from the one the previous group used in the ‘Do’ part of the activity, in order to make the changes you made clear.)

2. Each poster now should have been adjusted from the information from Materials 1a, 1b and 1c to the information provided in Materials 2a, 2b and 2c.

3. As facilitator running this entire activity, present the chart in Material 3.

■ To prepare for this, we strongly recommend going over pages 20-27 of Bowl of Rights (“Protecting Human Rights: A Mini-Guide to the International Human Rights Framework” by Jonas L- Skaalerud). Refer to the further reading section of this activity for a download link.

■ Remember: the goal of this activity is to explore international Human Rights instruments going beyond the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These more specific, detailed documents may provide your Junior Branch with a deeper understanding of international Human Rights instruments.

Apply (20 minutes) 1. In the same groups as the ‘Reflect & Generalize’ part of the activity, discuss the following question: In the scenario your group just worked on, has having these conventions in place changed the situation?

Why or why not?

2. You can use the following discussion method: ▪ Draw this shape (see right) on a piece of paper.

▪ Without talking, every member of the group writes their thoughts in one of the shapes. Do not use the square in the middle yet.

▪ Once everyone is done writing, turn the paper to the left. Each group member can now read the thoughts of another group member. Keep turning the piece of paper until every group member has read every other members thoughts.

▪ Now, the group may talk again. It is now their task to discuss their thoughts and come up with a common answer. This common answer is written in the square in the middle of the paper.

(Illustration at top of page taken from Bowl of Rights

by CISV Norway / CISV Colombia – see further reading section.) ______________

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3. As facilitator, you could now have all groups share their thoughts and/or look at other groups’ flowcharts. This is up to you!

4. Please take pictures of the activity and/or the posters the sub-groups made and send them to righton@ijb.cisv.org to share it with Junior Branches around the world.

Adjust this activity to your JB’s needs!

You can use all this material however you want – Only like the ASK? Great! Think the debrief questions are lame? Change them! Want to focus on only the 'Do' part of the activity and add the rest yourself ? Perfect. Nobody knows your JB's needs better than you do.

Evaluation After you’ve run the activity, please fill out this (quick!) form to help us improve and keep track of Right On: http://bit.ly/178xguL

Tips for facilitators: ▪ If you’re running a camp or workshop, you could hang up the posters sub-groups made around the campsite.

▪ This is Step #4 in a series of Human Rights education activities. If you feel it might be too complicated for your group of participants, we’d advise you to run one or several activities from Steps #1 - #3, and then return to this activity.

▪ Stick to the time limits and announce them.

▪ Explain each step of the activity by giving examples and make sure e verybody understands.

▪ As a facilitator, don’t express opinions - take a step back.

▪ We encourage you to write down questions you find difficult to answer and send t hem in – Right On has access to a network of experts and will try their best to get back to you with good answers.

Further reading:

Teaching Human Rights: Practical activities for primary and and secondary schools.

United Nations, 2004.

http://www.un.org/wcm/webdav/site/visitors/shared/documents/pdfs/Pub_United%20Nations_ABC_human%20rights.pdf

Bowl of Rights. CISV Norway / CISV Colombia, 2013. http://cisv.no/conlupa/bowl-of-rights/

Introducing your Junior Branch to ‘Right On’

After you’ve run this activity, you can tell your juniors about Right On - the goal is to emphasize the Global Movement of Junior Branch in each chapter. You can tell them to check out the facebook page (facebook.com/righton2013) as well as the tumblr (righton2013.tumblr.com) to see the results of the activity you just ran and other JB’s results from around the world.

(Illustration at top of page taken from Bowl of Rights by CISV Norway / CISV Colombia – see further reading section.)

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Material 1a Children […] Forced to be Soldiers, Now Being Held with Adults and Tortured (NEW YORK) – Children […] as young as 13 who were recruited as child soldiers by armed groups are now being detained by [government] forces alongside adults and have been tortured, [a report said today.] (…)

One of them, a 15-year-old shepherd, was arrested (…). The boy said they did not ask for his age and did not interview him in his mother tongue, (…) before handing him over to [government] gendarmerie in the nations’s capital. During the plane transfer, he was blindfolded and had both his hands and feet tied. (…) The children in detention have been charged with offences such as association with wrongdoers, rebellion, undermining internal and external state security, and acts of terrorism.

Source: http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/press-releases/children-in-mali-forced-to-be-soldiers-now-being-heldwith-adults-and-tortured

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Material 1c […] Indigenous protest movement highlights deep-rooted injustices For nearly a month now, an Indigenous leader has been camped out in a traditional tepee near the (…) parliament buildings in [the nation’s capital], where she is engaged in a hunger strike aimed at getting a meeting with Prime Minister [of the country]. (…)

[Like the] hunger strike, the (…) protests are a response both to the government’s current legislative agenda and to the longstanding discrimination and injustices faced by Indigenous peoples (…), including the failure to uphold negotiated treaties. “[Indigenous peoples in the country] have experienced a history of colonization which has resulted in outstanding land claims, lack of resources and unequal funding for services such as education and housing," the [protest’s] manifesto states. (…)

Source: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/EUR57/006/2012/en/94b0ef83-a119-420ba6df-81b8b51ac70c/eur570062012en.pdf

(Illustration at top of page taken from Bowl of Rights by CISV Norway / CISV Colombia – see further reading section.)

Material 1b Violence at disability protest must be investigated [A]uthorities must initiate a prompt, full and independent investigation into reports that police used excessive force against people with disabilities during a demonstration in [the nation’s capital] on Thursday, [a prominent Human Rights advocacy group] said.

Several people were injured or fainted after the police [lined up] near the city’s [main plaza] and repelled protesters who tried to advance, reportedly using pepper spray and electric shocks indiscriminately.

Officials said police were acting in response to violent attacks by demonstrators, and police officers were also injured in the clashes.

“Disturbing reports and images from near [the main plaza] seem to show the police lashing out indiscriminately against the protesters, many of whom were using wheelchairs,” said the Programme Director at [a well-known Human Rights NGO]. “[S]ecurity forces have a duty to maintain public order, but they should always do so in compliance with international human rights standards on the use of force. Any allegations of abuse should be thoroughly and impartially investigated.”

The clashes in (…) ended a 100-day journey for many of the protesters, who had covered some 1,000 miles across the country to demand an increase in state subsidies for people with disabilities. (…)

The protesters claim that the government failed to take into account their demands when drafting [a] law. In particular, they are calling for a better work opportunities and an increase in the state disability allowance.

“The authorities should ensure that [...] people with disabilities are consulted on any proposed law affecting them. (…) ” said [the NGO’s] Programme Director.

Source: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/EUR57/006/2012/en/94b0ef83-a119-420ba6df-81b8b51ac70c/eur570062012en.pdf

(Illustration at top of page taken from Bowl of Rights by CISV Norway / CISV Colombia – see further reading section.)

Material 2a Children […] Forced to be Soldiers, Now Being Held with Adults and Tortured (NEW YORK) – Children […] as young as 13 who were recruited as child soldiers by armed groups are now being detained by [government] forces alongside adults and have been tortured, [a report said today.] (…)

One of them, a 15-year-old shepherd, was arrested (…). The boy said they did not ask for his age and did not interview him in his mother tongue, (…) before handing him over to [government] gendarmerie in the nations’s capital. During the plane transfer, he was blindfolded and had both his hands and feet tied. (…) The children in detention have been charged with offences such as association with wrongdoers, rebellion, undermining internal and external state security, and acts of terrorism. (…)

“Under international law, children should be detained separately from adults, and [national] law also prohibits detaining them with adults,” said Gaëtan Mootoo, [a reseacher at a prominent NGO]. “The […] authorities should give notice to the UNICEF when arresting children suspected of association with armed groups so that their families can be identified and their cases handled by child protection professionals.” (…)

The U.N. Secretary-General’s 2012 Report on Children and Armed Conflict, which was released this week, has for the first time, explicitly named parties to the conflict […] as being responsible for the recruitment and use of child soldiers and for sexual violence against children.

“It is critical that the issue of child soldiers and other children associated with armed forces [is prioritized],” said Mootoo.

Source: http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/press-releases/children-in-mali-forced-to-be-soldiers-now-being-held-with-adults-andtortured ________________________________________________________________________________

Convention on the Rights of the Child Adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution 44/25 of 20 November 1989 entry into force 2 September 1990, in accordance with article 49.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (commonly abbreviated as the CRC, CROC, or UNCRC) is a human rights treaty setting out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children. The Convention defines a child as any human being under the age of eighteen, unless the age of majority is attained earlier under a state's own domestic legislation.

Currently 193 countries have ratified, accepted, or acceded to it (some with stated reservations or interpretations) including every member of the United Nations except three.

Sources: http://www.unicef.org/crc/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_on_the_Rights_of_the_Child (Illustration at top of page taken from Bowl of Rights by CISV Norway / CISV Colombia – see further reading section.)

Material 2b Violence at Disability Protest must be investigated [A]uthorities must initiate a prompt, full and independent investigation into reports that police used excessive force against people with disabilities during a demonstration in [the nation’s capital] on Thursday, [a prominent Human Rights advocacy group] said.

Several people were injured or fainted after the police [lined up] near the city’s [main plaza] and repelled protesters who tried to advance, reportedly using pepper spray and electric shocks indiscriminately.

“Disturbing reports and images from near [the main plaza] seem to show the police lashing out indiscriminately against the protesters, many of whom were using wheelchairs,” said the Programme Director at [a well-known Human Rights NGO]. “[S]ecurity forces have a duty to maintain public order, but they should always do so in compliance with international human rights standards on the use of force. Any allegations of abuse should be thoroughly and impartially investigated.”

The clashes in (…) ended a 100-day journey for many of the protesters, who had covered some 1,000 miles across the country to demand an increase in state subsidies for people with disabilities.

The protesters claim that the government failed to take into account their demands when drafting [a] law.

In particular, they are calling for a better work opportunities and an increase in the state disability allowance.

“The authorities should ensure that [...] people with disabilities are consulted on any proposed law affecting them. Any measure must fulfil their needs as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,” said the NGO’s Programme Director.

Source: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/EUR57/006/2012/en/94b0ef83-a119-420b-a6df-81b8b51ac70c/ eur570062012en.pdf ________________________________________________________________________________

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol was adopted on 13 December 2006 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, and was opened for signature on 30 March 2007. (…) There were 82 signatories to the Convention, 44 signatories to the Optional Protocol, and 1 ratification of the Convention.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international human rights instrument of the United Nations intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. Parties to the Convention are required to promote, protect, and ensure the full enjoyment of human rights by persons with disabilities and ensure that they enjoy full equality under the law. The Convention has served as the major catalyst in the global movement from viewing persons with disabilities as objects of charity, medical treatment and social protection towards viewing them as full and equal members of society, with human rights. It is also the only UN human rights instrument with an explicit development dimension. The Convention was the first human rights treaty of the new Millennium.

Sources: http://www.un.org/disabilities/convention/conventionfull.shtml http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_on_the_Rights_of_Persons_with_Disabilities (Illustration at top of page taken from Bowl of Rights by CISV Norway / CISV Colombia – see further reading section.)

Material 2c Indigenous protest movement highlights deep-rooted injustices For nearly a month now, an Indigenous leader has been camped out in a traditional tepee near the (…) parliament buildings in [the nation’s capital], where she is engaged in a hunger strike aimed at getting a meeting with Prime Minister [of the country]. (…)

[Like the] hunger strike, the (…) protests are a response both to the government’s current legislative agenda and to the longstanding discrimination and injustices faced by Indigenous peoples (…), including the failure to uphold negotiated treaties. “[Indigenous peoples in the country] have experienced a history of colonization which has resulted in outstanding land claims, lack of resources and unequal funding for services such as education and housing," the [protest’s] manifesto states. (…)

Laws without consent (…) By shutting [indigenous peoples] out of active participation in drafting laws – and often adopting them despite vocal opposition – [the country] is falling far short of national legal requirements and flouting global human rights standards like the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. (…)

Source: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/canada-indigenous-protest-movement-highlights-deep-rooted-injustices-2013-01-04 ________________________________________________________________________________

Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples While as a General Assembly Declaration it is not a legally binding instrument under international law, according to a UN press release, it does "represent the dynamic development of international legal norms and it reflects the commitment of the UN's member states to move in certain directions"; the UN describes it as setting "an important standard for the treatment of indigenous peoples that will undoubtedly be a significant tool towards eliminating human rights violations against the planet's 370 million indigenous people and assisting them in combating discrimination and marginalisation."

The Declaration sets out the individual and collective rights of indigenous peoples, as well as their rights to culture, identity, language, employment, health, education and other issues. It "prohibits discrimination against indigenous peoples", and it "promotes their full and effective participation in all matters that concern them and their right to remain distinct and to pursue their own visions of economic and social development".The goal of the Declaration is to encourage countries to work alongside indigenous peoples to solve global issues, like development, multicultural democracy and decentralization.

Sources: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/indigenous/declaration.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_on_the_Rights_of_Indigenous_Peoples

(Illustration at top of page taken from Bowl of Rights by CISV Norway / CISV Colombia – see further reading section.)

Material 3

The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007), which some of you discussed, is not a legally binding convention (like the other two documents in this activity), but a declaration.

Source: Teaching Human Rights: Practical activities for primary and and secondary schools. United Nations, 2004. Pg. 13 http://bit.ly/18Ni6Xp