Lesson 1: Human Rights and Children’s Rights

Human Rights are…

Fundamental: You are entitled to them simply because you are a human being.

Universal: Everyone everywhere has them.

Egalitarian: The same for everyone.

A brief history of human rights…

• WW2 and the Holocaust: Inspired need for human Rights

• 1945: United Nations Established

• 1948: Adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• 1989: UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child…

Describes the rights that every child under 18 is

entitled to

“Children are neither the property of their parents nor are they helpless objects of

charity. They are human beings and are the subject of their own rights"

Almost all the countries in the world have signed up to the Convention. The only ones who haven’t are….

Somalia

USA

• The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is recognised in International Law.

• It gives people the power to put pressure on governments.

• The Committee on the Rights of the Child, based in Geneva, monitors how well countries are following the Convention.

Lesson 2: Children Living on the Street

There are estimated to be 100 million children living and working on the streets around the world.

Significantly more than the population of the UK which is 64 million

Who are children on the street?

Children on the street are children who live, work, sleep or spend most of their time on

the street.

They might not have a home to go back to, struggle to get an

education and are very vulnerable.

UNICEF has defined three types of children on the streets:

Street living children

Street working children

Children from street families

Where are children living on

the streets?

There are children living on the streets all over the world including in the UK.

It was estimated that there were one million young people living on the streets in the USA in 2003.

There are up to 40million street children in Latin America.

18 million children live on the streets in India.

Why are children living on the street?

Children end up on the streets for a huge number of reasons…

• Abandoned by their family.

• Run away from abusive homes.

• Families too poor to look after them.

• Family break down.

• Disabled children being abandoned.

• Refugee children fleeing from armed conflict areas or natural disasters.

• Desire to earn money on the streets.

• AIDS orphans.

• Peer pressure.

… these are just a few examples of why children end up on the street.

‘Street Children’Children living on the street

too often get stereotyped as ‘Street Children’.

This is a negative stereotype that suggests these children belong on the street and deserve nothing better.

It means that people think you don’t deserve help or a future.

Being a ‘street child’ really just means…

…being a normal child, with dreams and hopes for the future, living in a very tough situation.

But without help these children are being denied both

a childhood and a future….

Link to video poem created by a group of children working with Salve International in Uganda:

I am not Street

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shfX1LrAcYc

Lesson 3: Recap quiz

1. Human rights are egalitarian. This means… A. They’re the same for everyone B. They’re easy to understand C. They’re decided by the people

2. The UN was set up in…A. 1921B. 1965C. 1945

3. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, was significantly inspired by…

A. World War 2 and the HolocaustB. The suffragette movement C. 1940s popular music

4. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child applies to…A. All children in the Western World B. All children under 18 everywhere C. All children under 16 everywhere

5. The only countries who haven’t signed up are…A. Russia and USA B. USA and SomaliaC. China and Afghanistan

6. Under the Convention, families… A. Should have control over their childrenB. Should never split upC. Should help children exercise their rights

7. Which one of the 3 things below is NOT a child’s right within the Convention…

A. The right to have everything they want. B. The right to nutritious food and clean water.C. The right to relax and play

8. The Committee on the Rights of the Child, which monitors how well countries are following the Convention is based in…A. Paris B. London C. Geneva

9. There are estimated to be how many children living on the streets worldwide…A. 500,000B. 100million C. 5million

10. Children end up living on the streets…A. Because they are lazyB. Because they refuse helpC. For a huge number of different reasons

11. Children living on the streets are… A. WorthlessB. Just like you C. Nothing to worry about

12. Labelling children ‘street children’…A. Help to give them a better identity B. Stigmatises and stereotypes themC. Is useful for everyone

13. Children living on the streets are often…A. Abused, ignored and criminalised B. Old enough to look after themselves C. Don’t want to go to school

Lesson 3: Recap Quiz