Transcript Introduction to Human Rights

Introduction to Human Rights
DIGNITY AND EQUALITY FOR ALL
Yolande Tomlinson, Ph.D., US Human Rights Network
Dina Tyson, National Center for Civil & Human Rights
Khalidah Guy, National Center for Civil & Human Rights
Who We Are
Who We Are
Agenda
 What are human rights
 Standards
 Tools
 Case Studies: Quiz
 Youth Declaration of Rights
 Action
Ground Rules
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This is a safe space
Step up/step back
One diva, one mic [W.A.I.T.]
Circle of knowledge
Questions & additions
Goals
 Provide an introduction to human rights principles;
 Provide the tools for you to be able to
 Articulate a basic understanding of human rights;
 Understand how human rights apply to everyday life;
 Be able to frame one or two key issue(s) as human rights
issues; and
 Identify human rights violations;
 Lay the groundwork for further engagement with
human rights;
 Provide opportunities beyond this workshop for you
to apply what you have learned.
Introductions
Song Scramble
What do you
consider
human rights?
 Jill Scott’s “My Petition”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=n8uA3DMFPfk
Human Rights: The Whole Picture
Social
Cultural
Economic
Environmental
Political
Sexual
Civil
What are Human Rights?
A set of values and standards
that allow all people to live with:
Dignity
Freedom
Equality
Peace
Justice
What are Human Rights?
A set of tools needed to:
Promote
Protect
Remedy violations
Where do human rights originate?
 Originate within us, as humans
 Come from human needs and desires
 From people fighting for them
 Indigenous Peoples in America
 Africans enslaved in the Americas
 Women’s right to vote
 Workers fighting for protection on the job
 World War II (WWII)
 Restoration of voting rights to formerly-incarcerated persons
 Promoted and protected in international law
Universal Declaration of
Human Rights (UDHR)
“Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity
and of the equal and inalienable rights of all
members of the human family is the foundation
of freedom, justice and peace in the world”
– Preamble to the UDHR
UDHR: History & Context
 Adopted on December 10, 1948
 Developed out of World War II & Creation of the
United Nations
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Desire to preserve peace
 Product of social justice, civil rights, civil liberties,
and religious groups, calling on the United Nations
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NAACP & W.E.B. Dubois
American Bar Association
American Jewish Committee
21 American Countries
International Bill of Rights =
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR)
+
The Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
(ICCPR)
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The Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights
(ICESCR)
Human Rights: A Set of Tools
Declaration
Convention & Covenant
 Non-binding, not
 Legally binding (.i.e.
legally obligated to
adhere
 Customary law: people
hold it up as common
standard and practice
 Aspirational &
Inspirational
treaty)
 Can be enforced (.i.e.
becomes law)
 People can make
demands for change
(i.e. bring to court)
Human Rights: A Set of Tools
Respect
Protect
Fulfill
Government
cannot take away
your rights or
stop you for
enjoying those
rights
Government must
prevent others
(individuals or
corporations)
from violating
your rights
Must take
positive actions
to contribute to
your enjoyment
of basic human
rights
Human Rights: A Set of Values
& Principles
Human Rights: A Set of Values &
Principles
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1. Everyone is born free and equal in dignity and rights.
2. Everyone has equal rights regardless of differences
between people such as gender, color, religion, language,
wealth or political opinion.
3. Everyone has the right to life and the right to live in freedom and
safety.
4. No one shall be held in slavery or slave-like conditions
5. Everyone has the right not to be tortured, degraded or treated
cruelly.
6. Everyone has the right to be treated as a person under the law
everywhere.
7. The law is the same for everyone and should protect everyone
equally.
8. Everyone has the right to ask for legal help when their basic rights
are not respected.
9. No one should be arrested, imprisoned or expelled from their
country without good reason.
10. Everyone has the right to a fair trial, if accused of a crime.
11. Everyone has the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty,
accused of a crime.
12. Everyone has the right to privacy.
13. Everyone has the right to travel within and outside their
own country.
14. Everyone has the right to seek asylum in another country, if they
are being persecuted in their own country.
15. Everyone has the right to a nationality.
16. Everyone has the right to marry and have a family.
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17. Everyone has the right to own property on their own or with
others. No one should have their property taken from them
without good cause.
18. Everyone has the right to their own free thoughts, conscience
and religion including the right to practice their religion privately
or in public.
19. Everyone has the right to say what they think and to
share information with others.
20. Everyone has the right to meet with others publicly and
privately and to freely form and join peaceful associations.
21. Everyone has the right to vote in regular democratic elections
and to take part in the government of their country.
22. Every country must do its best to ensure that everyone has
enough to live a life of dignity (social security).
23. Everyone has the right to work for a fair wage in a safe
environment and also has the right to join a trade union.
24. Everyone has the right to rest and leisure time.
25. Everyone has the right to “an adequate standard of
living,” including a home, enough food and health care.
26. Everyone has the right to education and to free
primary education.
27. Everyone has the right to take part in the cultural life of their
community and the right to benefit from scientific and artistic
learning.
28. National and international laws and institutions must make
possible the rights and freedoms set out in this declaration.
29. Everyone has the responsibility to respect and uphold the rights
of others in their community and the wider world.
30. No one has the right to take away any of the rights in this
declaration.
Know your (human) rights: Case Studies
 Government: School-to-Prison Pipeline
 Corporation: Environmental (In)Justice
 Private actors: Homeless LGBT Youth
Case Study: School-to-Prison Pipeline
 Inadequate resources in public schools  2nd rate
schools
 “Zero Tolerance”: Expulsion and suspension for
minor incidences
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1.7 Mil (‘74) to 3.1 Mil (2000)
 Targets Black, Latino, LGBTQ students and students
with disabilities
 Increased reliance on police in schools
 In Ohio, up to 80% of court-involved cases do not
have lawyers
Case Study: Environmental (In)justice
 Children more vulnerable to changes in the
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environment
Study found over 200 industrial chemicals and
pollutants in babies’ umbilical chord
Cancer is leading cause of death among children
Increases in rates of: Asthma, obesity & neurological
disorders among children
Hazardous waste and landfills located most closely to
Black and Indigenous communities (regardless of
income)
Case Study: LGBTQ Youth Homelessness
What rights are violated?
 LGBTQ youth are 5% of the
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youth population
Yet they are 40% homeless youth
population
Subjected to abuse at home, in
school, in foster care, and
detention centers
Harassment by religious
individuals and groups
Lack of understanding about
needs and identity
62% youth suicide rate
58% homeless LGBT youth
subjected to sexual abuse
A Youth Declaration of Rights
The Human Rights Framework
 Universal
 All of us have them and they apply everywhere
 Inalienable
 We were born with them (not granted)
 Indivisible
 The realization of human rights depends on the protection and
fulfillment of all of rights
 Interdependent
 They depend on each other to be fully realized
The Human Rights Framework
 The floor, not the ceiling
 Evolving
 There is NO government or society on earth that has
realized all of these rights. There is no utopia.
Why are human rights important?
 Unifies and connects all of our issues
 Everyone is covered; no one is undeserving
 Says government has a role play in ending human
suffering and inequality
 Calls for changes to systems, not just policies
 Puts control in the hands of people
Spreading the Word
Share your knowledge on
social media
Tweet using the hashtags:
#AdvancingRights
@USHRN
@NCCHR
Talk to Conference
Attendees
Thank You!
DINA TYSON
KHALIDAH GUY
[email protected]
[email protected]
404-991-6973
YOLANDE TOMLINSON, PH.D.
[email protected]
404-588-9761 (EXT. 105)
http://www.civilandhumanrights.org
www.ushrnetwork.org