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Voices into Action - Unit 1 1/11 Voices into Action - Unit 1 Table of Content Table of Content 2/11 Voices into Action - Unit 1 Unit 1 Human Rights Back to top Did You Know? Thomas Jefferson wrote 82 drafts before the Declaration of Independence was published. The French was written largely by the Marquis de Lafayette, a veteran of the American War of Independence and a friend of Thomas Jefferson (who may have helped him write the French Declaration). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) has been translated into over 400 different languages and is the most translated document ever, according to the The influenced the written into its 3/11 Voices into Action - Unit 1 Unit 1 Human Rights constitution following the end of the apartheid era. Former Minister of Justice & Attorney General of Canada - Interview on Human Rights Quiz to test your knowledge: 4/11 Voices into Action - Unit 1 Unit 1 Human Rights We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are _____ Canadian Charter of created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with Rights and Freedoms, certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty 1982 and the pursuit of Happiness Men are born free and remain free and equal in _____ American Declaration of rights….These rights are liberty, property, security, and Independence, 1776 resistance to oppression All human are born free and equal in dignity and _____ The Declaration of the rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and Rights of Man and of the should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood Citizen, France, 1789 Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms: _____ American Declaration of Independence, 1776 a. freedom of conscience and religion; b. freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression; c. freedom of peaceful assembly; and d. freedom of association John Peters Humphrey Which of the human rights documents is connected to the work of Canadian legal scholar John Peters Humphrey? (Answers are at the end of the overview.) According to the United Nations “Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.” www.ohchr.org Universal Declaration of Human Rights - http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/ 5/11 Voices into Action - Unit 1 Unit 1 Human Rights 1. We Are All Born Free and Equal 2. Don’t Discriminate 3. The Right to Life 4. No Slavery 5. No Torture 6. You Have Rights No Matter Where You Go 7. We’re All Equal Before the Law 8. Your Human Rights Are Protected by Law 9. No Unfair Detainment 10. The Right to Trial 11. We’re Always Innocent Till Proven Guilty 12. The Right to Privacy 13. Freedom to Move 14. The Right to Seek a Safe Place to Live 15. Right to a Nationality 16. Marriage and Family 17. The Right to Your Own Things 18. Freedom of Thought 19. Freedom of Expression 20. The Right to Public Assembly 21. The Right to Democracy 22. Social Security 23. Workers’ Rights 24. The Right to Play 25. Food and Shelter for All 26. The Right to Education 27. Copyright 28. A Fair and Free World 29. Responsibility 30. No One Can Take Away Your Human Rights As you explore the cases here are some additional questions to ask yourself: Which of the 30 UDHR human rights are accepted? Which are denied? Can Canada be proud of its human rights record? Historical Graph: Timeline with Attitude! We often construct graphs exploring the relationships between price and demand in economics and sets of demographic data in geography. Historical graphs add a dimension to traditional timelines by helping us explore the nature of significance and chronology (change over time) in rigorous and meaningful ways. We can see patterns over time and recognize that history is not an unbroken line of progress. Historical graphs push us to construct meaning from the graph through making connections between the abstract nature of data and the people and events that lay behind it. 6/11 Voices into Action - Unit 1 Unit 1 Human Rights 7/11 Voices into Action - Unit 1 Unit 1 Human Rights Procedure for Building a Timeline Graph Begin with a blank 8 1/2” x 11” or 11” x 14” paper. The horizontal axis usually represents an element of chronology such as: decisions by a leader or a group, or a series of events around a common theme (e.g. strikes, inventions, diary entries or public speeches by an historical figure). The vertical axis represents some comparative criteria such as: unimportant—very important more push factor—more pull factor good example—poor example strongest influence—weakest influence more or fewer examples more welcoming—less welcoming. Place the events or a number corresponding to each event on the graph depending on their assessment of the degree to which the event, quote, feeling, decision, etc., meet the vertical axis criteria. In this unit, the vertical axis represents a continuum towards the achievement of human rights. The horizontal axis can represent key dates relevant to the cases studied. After the graphs have been constructed, discussed and defended, you can write position papers on critical questions such as: Extensions and Resources In chronological order the horizontal axis has many options. The significance of historical figures in the struggle for human rights (world history). 8/11 Voices into Action - Unit 1 Unit 1 Human Rights The examples below are political/military but we could substitute philosophers, writers, or artists from Confucius to Mary Wollstonecraft. Here is a hypothetical example of an historical graph for major figures in the history of human rights If you join the lines you see that progress is not smooth. Other places for using historical graphs include: A chronology of Supreme Court decisions (American history) or cases in Canadian law (Canadian history). Key documents in world history such as Magna Carta and the Petition of Rights in England or the Edict of Nantes in France. A clipping thesis of events over a period of two weeks to one month. In this case there could be several graphs representing economic rights, religious rights, or any of the 30 rights identified in the United Nations’ UDHR. And for some terms such as “Genocide” a graph such as the one below would generate much discussion. 9/11 Voices into Action - Unit 1 Unit 1 Human Rights www.youthforhumanrights.org introduces you to a world of resources and ideas for teaching human rights, using the UDHR as the standard. The kit, including poster, DVD, lesson guides, student books, and more are free for teachers. A more detailed and academic treatment of the development of human rights is Lynn Hunt’s Published in 2007 by W.W. Norton. It looks at the context and implications of the creation of the , , and the . Learn about your province’s Human Rights Commission and Human Rights Laws CANADIAN PROVINCIAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONS ONTARIO - http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/learning/elearning QUEBEC - http://w4.cdpdj.qc.ca/en/droits-de-la-personne/vos-droits/Pages/default.aspx BRITISH COLUMBIA - http://www.bchrt.bc.ca/human-rights-duties/index.htm ALBERTA - https://www.albertahumanrights.ab.ca/education/Pages/e_learning.aspx MANITOBA - http://www.manitobahumanrights.ca/yourhumanrights.html SASKATCHEWAN - http://saskatchewanhumanrights.ca/about-us/about-us NOVA SCOTIA - https://humanrights.novascotia.ca/content/know-your-human-rights NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR - http://www.justice.gov.nl.ca/hrc/about/index.html NEW BRUNSWICK - http://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/nbhrc/human-rights- act/summary.html PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND - http://www.gov.pe.ca/humanrights/ YUKON – https://www.yhrc.yk.ca NORTHWEST TERRITORIES – http://nwthumanrights.ca/your-rights/ NUNAVUT – http://www.nhrt.ca/english/general_information Canadian Legal Information Institute Search and examine human rights laws and legislation in this free website: Canadian Legal Information Institute. www.canlii.org To browse the site: 1. Enter “human rights” in the first field called “Document text” 2. Choose a province or Canada (Federal) under Jurisdiction on the left 3. Results will show from the Supreme Court of Canada. Click on each one that is relevant or useful to you. You can choose by All, Cases, Legislation or Commentary (top listing under the empty fields) 10/11 Voices into Action - Unit 1 Unit 1 Human Rights A- 2, B-3, C-4, D-1 John Peters Humphrey wrote the first draft of the 11/11.
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