Teaching for human rights in Cambodia
Case Study
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| Teacher's Notes | Student Activities |
| Introduction |
Some days at school might seem better than others, but stop to think - what would your life be like in the long run if you could never go to school? What if you could not drink clean water or eat enough food each day? What if you wanted to go to church or a place that is important to your religion, but were not allowed? What if you were forced against your beliefs and wishes to go to such a place? And, what if you were never treated fairly by others? If these things happened, you would be living without your human rights.
All people are entitled to human rights in their daily lives. Because drinking clean water, eating enough food, going to school and following (or not following) a religion are parts of everyday life for most Australians, many of us take them for granted. We do not often stop to think about what has happened in the past or is happening now to allow most of us to enjoy our rights every day. We also do not often think about others in our country or in other countries who do not enjoy their rights as often. But human rights do not belong to a particular country or group of people - they are for everyone, everywhere, and always.
| A human rights project in Cambodia |
In Cambodia, years of war and violence made many people live in fear without the protection of law and order. Some Cambodians however, decided to change this way of thinking and behaving and started a special project. Beginning with the teachers and children in schools, people in Cambodia are now learning about human rights every day.
The human rights teaching project has five aims. It trains teachers of all subjects to teach a 30-hour program on human rights, democracy (government by the people, where everyone over 18 has the right to vote) and non-violence. It helps teachers teach human rights in all subjects, but mainly in writing and in social studies. It teaches them that their students have rights. It helps the students recognise the rights of other children in work and play. Finally, it helps children spread messages about human rights to their families and to all Cambodians.
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| A Cambodian teacher learning about ways of teaching human rights in the classroom. |
| How does the project work? |
The Cambodian Ministry of Education and Australia's overseas aid program helps fund the training of senior trainers to train teachers in five to six day courses held all over Cambodia. Each course begins with a ceremony involving local officials or Buddhist monks. Having these people at the ceremony encourages officials to spread positive messages about human rights.
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| A cartoon from the project showing trainers travelling across Cambodia to discuss human rights with teachers. |
Trainees listen to lectures on human rights, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They read classroom books and share ideas to help children learn and enjoy their human rights. In particular, the courses encourage teachers to pay attention to girls who may be overlooked in classes. Since responsibilities belong with rights, trainees learn to help children understand their responsibilities to other people and the environment.
Teachers also provide 'model classes' with local children which means trainees can watch and learn. At the end of the course the trainees are given small gifts at a closing ceremony. After the course has finished the trainers continue to check on the teachers and help with work in schools.
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| Children learn how they can help bring about human rights for everyone. |
The Cambodian Institute of Human Rights (CIHR) has run the project since 1995 and has also trained teachers in Buddhist schools. In fact, the Buddhist belief that change begins with the individual, and the values of patience, peace and kindness, has played a big part overall.
CIHR believes that 'today's children are the adults of tomorrow'. With its special program reaching children, families and communities each day, the human rights teaching project is helping more Cambodians enjoy their human rights.
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