In September 2009, Slovenia - as the Chair of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe - began with the implementation of a human rights project “Our Rights” for 60,000 children in Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Ossetia-Alanya in the Russian Federation. It main aim is to contribute to the democratization of these societies, and promote tolerance and respect through human rights education.
Human rights education and training is a lifelong process. If effective, it can prevent human rights violations by promoting a culture of peace, non-discrimination and tolerance anchored in respect for universal human rights and fundamental freedoms. The empowerment of children – both by educating them on their rights and by ensuring them access to justice – remains a key priority of Slovenian foreign policy.
During the Slovenian Chairmanship of the OSCE in 2005, Slovenia initiated a Pilot Project on Human Rights Education called “Our Rights”, based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Slovenian experts designed, initiated and led the implementation of the pilot project, which involved a number of governments of the OSCE participating States, NGOs, individual experts, ombudsman’s offices, field offices of international organizations and other stakeholders. The participating countries showed great interest, so the teaching tool was translated into 17 languages and used with about 66,000 children in Albania, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Ireland, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey, and Ukraine. Children from minorities were also involved, including Roma children in several countries in South-Eastern Europe. The Evaluation of the “Our Rights” project clearly shows that it contributed significantly to raising awareness on human and children's rights within all the participating countries.
As a teaching aid, the user-friendly set of "Our Rights" teaching cards for children and the information booklet for teachers motivates pupils to learn about children's rights.
After a few years of using the “Our Rights” material on their own, partners in post-conflict societies previously affected by wars and terrorist attacks asked for further support with expertise, especially with teaching materials. The successfully implemented Our Rights pilot project was integrated into Kosovo’s school curricula, which is a big strategic step forward in the education of the young.
During the UN International Year of Human Rights Learning in 2009 and at the time of the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Slovenia believes that efforts should be redoubled to put human rights education high on the agenda, because only synergy of action can add value to the promotion of universal values.
In preparation for the Slovenian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in 2009 – during the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Council of Europe, whose core objectives remain promoting human rights, rule of law and democracy – Slovenia chose to support partners in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and North Ossetia–Alanya in the Russian Federation in continuing the “Our Rights” project in the 2009/2010 school year. The project was started in all three locations in September for the entire generation of 12-year old pupils in Kosovo, children of all three main national communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the entire generation of 11–12-year olds in North Ossetia–Alanya in the Russian Federation.
We believe that young people should be the first target of education on universal human rights, which enhances understanding of the diversity of human societies, including religious, ethnic, cultural and national minority aspects. Inter-cultural and inter-religious respect should also be promoted at the same time. The process of learning about human rights and respect for others should enhance our ability to build societies that will value tolerance and respect.
Our experience with the “Our Rights” project shows that there are both great opportunities and needs in the field. We believe such projects and other numerous efforts by international organizations, non-governmental organizations and government institutions are necessary. With additional engagement in our environment, no effort should be spared to reach out to children and involve them in the process of their empowerment.
“Our Rights” is available in Albanian, Bosnian, Croatian, Russian and Serbian. Visit:
http://www.mzz.gov.si/en/foreign_policy/human_rights/the_our_rights_project_human_rights_education/
