Human Rights Education


Thoughts on the Amnesty International HRE Summit

Blythe Hinitz



My current research deals with anti-bullying and harassment among young children. It is part of addressing the new NJ State Law requiring every school district to have an anti-harassment plan in place during the current academic year. My areas of expertise are social studies, multicultural and peace education; early childhood education; and the history of education. These concept areas are integrated in the experiences provided for the pre-service and in-service learners with whom I work. As a delegate of an NGO organization accredited at the United Nations [U.N.], I attend the annual conference each fall. Every time I enter the buildings along First Avenue, I am reminded that although President Clinton signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Congress has not yet seen fit to ratify it. We are one of the two U.N. member nations that have not ratified the CRC.

The CRC states that every child has a right to a name and nationality, the first and most basic of human rights. This portion of the document can be used to look the experiences of refugee and displaced children, and street children around the world and in the U.S. Another basic part of the document discusses the right to play. The right to education is a major provision of the CRC. There are many ways to enter into discussions of human rights. A reading of " 'Did they know he had slaves when they elected him?' Young children can ask powerful questions," from the book If this is social studies, why isn't it boring? (i) contains a discussion about George Washington and led to a third grade classroom's exploration of the subject of slavery in the U.S. and ancient Egypt.

Other conversations might focus on the Holocaust and genocide studies within the history portion of the social studies education curriculum. It is possible to examine human rights violations by looking specifically at the incarceration and murder of Jews, gypsies, and others by the Nazis during World War II. Closer to home, camps like Manzanar that separated and isolated Japanese-Americans from their homes and jobs allow a way to examine decisions made in times of war and crises. The New Jersey State Holocaust and Genocide curricula cover the Potato Famine in Ireland and many other geographic areas in which genocide took place.

Peace educators are attempting to create connection to social studies - for example, many history and social studies classes focus on a litany of wars and their causes, effects, and resolution. Peace educators are attempting to assist teachers in sharing "peace history," the saga of those throughout the decades who have worked for peace, what these individuals stood for, what they did, and the results that were achieved through their efforts. I also suggest studying the theme of peace by understanding the goals of peace education.

Definitions of Peace Education

Goals of Peace Education [ECEP]

  1. To appreciate the richness of the concept of Peace
  2. To address fears. Ex. Child abuse in the home, unsafe streets, biochemical warfare, terrorism, violence in schools beginning with teasing and bullying. To provide information about security
  3. To understand war behavior through study. To learn about cultures of peace. The decade 2001-2010 is the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World. (iv)
  4. To develop intercultural understanding - appreciate the diversity of the human community.
  5. To provide a "futures" orientation by providing positive images of the future to give young people hope.
  6. To develop communication, questioning, problem-solving, and information gathering skills for teaching peace as a process.
  7. To support citizenship and civic participation in schools, neighborhoods, local community, the nation, and the world.
  8. To promote a concept of peace accompanied by social justice through learning about human rights and justice.
  9. To stimulate a respect for all forms of life.
  10. To manage conflicts nonviolently.

Peace education and conflict resolution are, by definition, social studies topics. Children's literature and create activities in the areas of music, poetry, art and creative movement can lead to a deeper understanding of peace. A rich resource for beginning to explore a peace theme could include the "peace music" research study being conducted by Dr. Candice Carter of the University of North Florida (See The Peace Maker SiTe at www.peacemaker.st).

At the HRE Summit, I learned of more ways to integrate other areas into this course thread. In my work, there are many implicit and explicit areas in which human rights values are incorporated as an integral part.

On the second day of the Summit, participants discussed the current political and ideological climate, race, ethnicity, sexual identity, and gender issues affect how teachers teach and the opportunities children have to learn. Margaret Crocco spoke about women and women's rights. On another panel, Mary Lee Webeck and Cynthia Tyson were asked to locate their discussions around teaching and learning in the current political and climate.


i) -- Wendy J. Hood "Did They Know He Had Slaves When They Elected Him?" Young Children Can Ask Powerful Questions," If This Is Social Studies,Why Isn't It Boring? eds. S. Steffy and W. J. Hood (Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers, 1994), 107-120.

ii) -- I. M. Harris and M.L. Morrison. Peace Education. 2nd ed. (North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2003).

iii) -- Blythe. F. Hinitz. "Early Childhood Education for Peace." In Nuba, et. al. Resources for Early Childhood: A Handbook. (New York: Garland, 1994). 249-286.

iv) -- United Nations Resolution 1998/31, 1998/31 - International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World (2001-2010), New York, NY http://www.un.org/documents/ecosoc/res/1998/eres1998-31.htm