Human rights education for children
Human rights education is education, upbringing and information that increases knowledge and understanding of human rights and fosters respect for them. Every child has the right to human rights education.
What is the aim of children's human rights education?
The aim of educating children about human rights is to ensure that they learn to respect both their own and others’ inherent human dignity, promote the realisation of human rights in everyday life and defend their own rights and the rights of others. This means that human rights education has not only an informational dimension but also an attitudinal and behavioural one.
Every child has the right to human rights education. Article 29 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child requires that education be directed to the development of respect for human rights. The Convention on the Rights of the Child also includes an obligation to make the principles and provisions of the Convention widely known (Article 42). Human rights education is also included in the core curricula for basic education and upper secondary education.
How are human rights taught?
Teaching and other forms of education about human rights must be delivered in a manner that respects human rights, for example by taking account of children’s equality and participation. A prerequisite for successful human rights education is the provision of initial and continued training for education professionals in the principles and practices of human rights. Many organisations also play an important role in human rights education for children, for example by organising visits to schools on themes related to human rights and producing materials for human rights education. Explore examples of methods and materials in Finnish at Ihmisoikeudet.net.
The national child rights communication network organises Children’s Rights Week (lapsenoikeuksienviikko.fi) every year. It is a practical, themed week intended to promote awareness of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, particularly among children and young people.
Read more:
- About human rights education (ihmisoikeuskeskus.fi)
- About human rights education and education for democratic citizenship on the Finnish National Agency for Education website, in Finnsih (oph.fi)
- The UN Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training (ohchr.org)
- The Council of Europe Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education in Finnish (rm.coe.int)
- Children’s rights for professionals working with children
Hello educator and advocate for human rights!
On the Children’s Rights Week website, we provide information and free materials on children’s rights for schools, early childhood education and care, as well as leisure-time and extracurricular activities. You can also promote children’s rights by sharing information and ready-made communication materials about children’s rights on social media.
