human rights: Principles and Rights

LOWER SECONDARY LEVEL177

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N1

N PLA

LESSO

Cherish Life
Human rights are meaningful as long as we celebrate life. The basis ofhuman rights is life, lived by individuals in society and with other life foms in
the natural environment. In living with others in society, human rights play
an important role of ensuring that life is respected, protected and enjoyed.
Topic 				Level 				Subject 				Human Rights Concept 		
Time Allotment 			: Cherish Life
: Lower secondary: Thought and Morality: Right to life
: Three sessionsI

OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to
1. Express appreciation of the value and meaning of life of humanbeings and other species on earth, and the need for all of them to livein harmony
2. Express the value of one’s own life and demonstrate respect for others’
lives.

IIRESOURCES• This lesson plan is based on lesson plans in Thought and Morality (《思想品德》Sixiang Pinde) of Grade 7. Selected from the Teachers’
Manual on the Course on Thought and Morality (Grade 7), 3rd edition,
People’s Education Press, 2008, pages 59-71.

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lower secondary level

III

PROCEDURE
A. Opener
The teacher briefly introduces the topic “The importance of life” by citing
Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR): “Everyone
has the right to life, liberty and security of person”.
The teacher explains that one cannot be deprived of life arbitrarily, andthis is based on an international document (UDHR) that was adopted way
back in 1948 by the community of nations.
The teacher also notes that life should not only refer to human life, but toall forms of life. All forms of life should be loved and respected for the sakeof the planet where we all live on.
B. Development of Activities
Session One: “Lives Adorn the World”
Activity One: Colorful world of life
The teacher has divided the students into several groups in the previous
session and gave them the assignment to collect pictures, videos, or actual
samples of organisms.
In the class, the teacher tells the students to discuss within theirrespective groups how they would introduce the organisms they researchedon and assign one member to present its report to the class.
The teacher facilitates the group reporting.
Activity Two: “Different species should love each other”
After the group reports, the teacher instructs the students to discuss
within their respective groups the topic “Different species should love eachother.” The teacher asks the students to share within their respective groups
touching stories about the topic from their own experiences and from what
they learned from the books, and then prepare a group report.
Based on the group reports, the teacher comments on the students’
understanding of the importance of love, encourages them to care for andprotect the lives around them, and to be kind-hearted people.
The teacher instructs each group to raise an organism, record in a Life
Note how the organism grows, and then discuss appropriate name for theorganism such as “Star of Raising Animals”, or “Star of Growing Plants.”
To end the session, the teacher expresses the following message:
Different species exist in the world. When we observe how they exist,
or how they grow, we realize that they exist alongside each other. We also179

HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN THE NORTHEAST ASIAN SCHOOL SYSTEMS

realize that this is a natural situation. And just like people, giving support
to each other’s existence makes everyone’s lives meaningful.
Session Two: “Uniqueness of Human Life”
The teacher discusses the uniqueness of human life by citing the rightto life in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and also its Article 1
which provides that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity andrights, endowed with reason and conscience, and should act towards one
another in the spirit of brotherhood. We should respect our own life and thatof others. Another meaning of the word life is related to one’s career. Besides,
the meaning of a great life or an ordinary life will be discussed.
Activity One: “My Life Identity” personality show
The teacher asks each student to make a “Life Identity Card” by writing
on a piece of paper her/his own signature, personality, hobbies, skills, mottos
and wishes along with a human figure.
The teacher encourages the students to introduce themselves in a lively
manner and listen to their classmates’ self-introduction carefully.
After the students have introduced themselves, the teacher makes aconclusion that everyone is unique and everyone should cherish one’s own
life and respect that of others.
Activity Two: Sequel writing
The teacher informs the students that they will hold a competition on“Sequel Writing,” with students participating either as individuals or ingroups. The teacher asks the students (or the groups) to write on a big pieceof paper a description of human beings’ wisdom. The most fantastic piecewins the competition, and the teacher puts it up on the classroom wall as anaward.
Activity Three: Giving advice on choosing a life path
The teacher tells stories about the lives of celebrities to inspire thestudents.
The teacher asks the students to play the game “I help you, you help me”
with the following instructions:a. Think individually about the following:
1. What is your goal in life?
2. What do you need to do to reach your goal? What kind of education
will you need for this purpose?
3. How much money do you think you would need to complete thethings you need to do?

180lower secondary levelb. After a while, students consult fellow students on what answers would
be appropriate, as well as give suggestions to each other.
After the game has ended, the teacher tells the students about theimportance of choosing the proper way of life on the basis of self-evaluation,
peers’ advice and the teacher’s suggestion.
At the end of the session, the teacher gives the following assignment:
1. Write down the steps to take to protect yourself when your apartment
is on fire.
2. Make a plan for your life.
Session Three: “Blooming Life”
The teacher makes a short introduction about cherishing our lives.
The right to life is one of the most important human rights protected byinternational human rights law. It should not be deprived arbitrarily. On theother hand, the individuals should also learn how to protect their own life
too.
Activity One: “Never lose hope in life” stories
The teacher tells several short stories (vignettes) about never giving up
hope in life: for example, the story of “The Miracle of Life” tells about awoman who survived falling into a trap because of her strong will to live.
The Miracle of Life
Two miners were trapped inside the mines after some pillars
collapsed during their work. They could not find any exit out of themines after a thorough search. However, the two miners did not lose
their hope to live. They kept encouraging each other: “the only thing
we can do is to wait for the rescuers; as long as we have faith, we
could survive; the strongest enemy is not the shortage of food andwater, but the lack of faith; if we persist, we’ll have the chance tolive.”
With their eagerness to live and the perseverance challenging
their physical capability, the two miners were rescued and freed afternine days and eight nights. They created the miracle of life.

The teacher guides the students on leaning how to value of life even morefrom model people, peers and celebrities, and then asks them to write down
their own motto after a careful thinking.
The teacher instructs the students to do a role-play according to thisstory,
a. expressing the feeling about the character’s strong will to live whileinside a trap

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b. telling experiences on seeking own way of life, or performing thestories.
The teacher may ask some questions:• What supported the woman to survive?
• What would you do if you were the heroine?
Activity Two: Learning self-protection
Using the stories collected prior to the class by the students on ways ofprotecting one’s self, the teacher develops a set of questions for a quiz. The
teacher asks the students to form small groups that will compete in the quiz.
The teacher includes questions in the quiz that relate to different
principles such as value of life, right to protect one’s life, etc.
The teacher then organizes a “Self-protection Camp” where students
act out what to do in situations of robbery, kidnapping, fire outbreak, anddrowning of a person.
The students act out different situations and their reactions to them.
The teacher asks the students to freely raise their ideas and share their
feelings about the “camp” experience. The teacher guides the exchange ofideas and feelings among the students.
The teacher summarizes some of the major ideas expressed by thestudents and emphasizes those that relate to such principles as value of life,
right to protect one’s life, etc.
Activity Three: Recognizing and respecting life
The teacher starts the activity with the question of “what kind ofhappiness could you bring to others?”
The teacher then encourages the students to share their stories about
the idea of “help”, either helping others or getting help from others. And theteacher tells them to be kind-hearted persons while cherishing the happinessthey already have.
The teacher asks the students to interview some people who are successful
in their endeavor or acquire information about them before the class, andpresent the contribution they made to the society and their hometown. The
teacher points out the important lessons in the lives of the successful people
to motivate the students to work step by step in order to realize their own
dreams.
The teacher makes a conclusion that everyone is an important part ofhappy life.

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lower secondary level

Activity Four: Realizing the value of life
To make the students understand that everyone makes a contribution to
the class and the society, the teacher asks the students to make a speech on
the theme “Realize the Value of Life.”
The teacher instructs and comments on the content, skill and language
and effect of the speeches.
The teacher takes note of the content of the speeches and points out parts
that show the need to respect others’ lives while cherishing one’s own life.
Activity Five: Self-acceptance
After reading and thinking about the story in the textbook about an
ordinary disabled person who lives a happy and decent life, the teacher
guides the students in discussing the idea of being kind in life (being kind totheir own lives and those of others).
The teacher expands the scope of the discussion by providing topics suchas• What should I do if had cancer?
• What should I do if a person was trapped?
The teacher concludes and guides the students on the concept of kindness
to others while realizing, respecting, accepting and cherishing one’s own
life. The teacher leaves the final message: “Life may be imperfect, but animperfect life needs more respect.”
Activity Six: “My Life Motto” personality show
Based on a previous assignment on the collection of materials about
the work and life of two persons (a celebrity and an ordinary person), theteacher asks the students the following question: what are their respective
contributions to society?
The teacher lists on the board the responses of students, and commentsthat everyone could increase the value of his/her life by persistent endeavor.
The teacher explains the meaning of Nikolai Ostrovsky’s well-known
saying in the textbook:“Man’s dearest possession is life. It is given to him but once, andhe must live it so as to feel no torturing regrets for wasted years,
never know the burning shame of a mean and petty past; so live that,dying, he might say: all my life, all my strength were given to thefinest cause in all the world - the fight for the Liberation of Mankind”- How the Steel was Tempered, Nikolai Ostrovsky, 1932

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C. Closure
The teacher closes the session by emphasizing a number of ideas thatwere discussed in the previous sessions:• the world is composed of all kinds of lives, and the different species
should cherish each other• human beings are part of nature, and are also unique• the significance of one’s self and the lives of others, and the respect
for them• the importance of developing self-awareness and choosing the right
way to the future• the value of life lies in its content rather than its length.
IV

EVALUATION
One way for the teacher to evaluate the students’ performance is bygiving different titles to each group, such as “Star of Raising Animals”, “Starof Growing Plants”. Another way is by encouraging students to keep a “LifeNote” when raising an animal or grow plants. This Life Note can be regarded
as part of class performance.
Besides, the teacher can evaluate the students by giving a quiz on
basic knowledge of the right to life at the end of the semester. The ability
to understand the concept of the right to life and its application should be
evaluated in the quiz.
Notes
Knowledge structure:184

lower secondary level
Everyone has the right to life. That right cannot be deprived arbitrarily. In many countries,
death penalty has been abolished. That means one’s life cannot be deprive even by law.
Furthermore, life should be respected not only by others, but also be cherished by oneself.
Finally, in the long run, there are other lives on the planet. Human beings cannot have
happy life without respecting natural lives. Some wild lives are in danger and we should cherish
them.

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N
LESSO

PLAN

2

Right to Protection
Each person was born into this world by a mother. Wanting to become amother is part of the inherent human rights of every woman. Yet pregnancy
and maternity are challenges for women, especially for those who work. Long
work hours, night shifts, threats of getting fired are still widely affecting
women. There is a need for women to have hospitable environment, adequate
time to recover from giving birth, and sufficient time to nurse their new-born
child. Many women still suffer from traditional views about gender divisionof labor, and motherhood ideology. Every mother of a young child deserves
assistance by understanding her roles and the importance of proper support
from other members of the family as well as society. This secures not only
the physical and mental health of the mother, but also the dignity of the next
generations.
Every child has the right to be raised with love in the family or familylike environment. The child should be fed with balanced nutrition, be curedof diseases, and be educated for their future well-being. However, in reality,
a powerless child in the family is easily ignored and sometimes becomes a
victim of various forms of abuse.
Topic				: Family Life and human rights
Level				: Lower secondary
Subject				: Extracurricular activity
Human Rights Concept		
: Right to protection/careTime Allotment			
: Four sessions

186lower secondary level

I

OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to discuss the link between human rights and family
life.
II

RESOURCES• Materials about maternity protection and childcare(In the previous class, the teacher gives students an assignment tocollect reports on cases of abusive actions against mothers and children
from whatever sources [online, print (newspaper, magazine), or personal
interview].)• Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), article numbers 3, 6, 19,
24, 34, 35, 36 and 37 (see Notes for the texts of the articles).
III

PROCEDURE
A. Opener
The teacher asks the students who among the family members would
have the “most precious” human rights, and explain why.
The teacher writes on the board the answers of the students, and thereasons for their answers.
B. Development of Activities
1. Activity
The teacher asks students to form small groups (not more than 5 pergroup) to discuss the materials they have collected regarding abuse of
mothers and children, and prepare a group report. The groups choose a
specific case for the group report.
The teacher provides the following guide questions:• What happened in the case? Identify the type of abuse involved.
• Why did it happen? Explain the probable reason(s) behind the abusive
action(s).
• Who are involved?
The teacher asks the groups to briefly share their discussions to thewhole class.
After the group reports, the teacher asks the students to role-play thecases they presented. The teacher asks the students to highlight the abusive
actions affecting mothers and children. The teacher instructs the students
to decide in their respective groups the actions each student would roleplay.

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2. Analysis
The teacher lists on the board the roleplayed actions and asks the students
to answer the following questions:• Are there attitudes in the roleplayed actions that adversely affectmothers and children?
• What values are missing in the roleplayed actions?
• How can such actions/behavior be changed?
The teacher writes the answers of the students corresponding to each of
the roleplayed actions listed on the board.
The teacher classifies the roleplayed actions into several categories suchas those that relate exclusively to mothers and children, types of abuse(physical or verbal), and any other appropriate classifications.
3. Abstraction
The teacher explains the concept of maternity protection and childcare,stressing the following points:• everyone has the right to be protected from any form of human rights
violation• but there is special emphasis on the welfare and safety of some people
who are most vulnerable to abuse by others. Mothers and children
have been identified as needing special treatment. The Universal
Declaration of Human Rights states that “[M]otherhood and childhood
are entitled to special care and assistance.” (Article 25
The teacher mentions that the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
obliges governments, as part of their responsibility under this international
agreement, to• “take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social andeducational measures to protect the child from all forms of physicalor mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment,
maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in thecare of parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any other person who has thecare of the child.” (Article 19)• take appropriate measures on “pre-natal and post-natal health carefor mothers.” (Article 24d)
In addition, under the CRC, the government has the obligation to:• adopt laws and administrative measures, and ensure that government
child care institutions follow the standards established by competentauthorities for the care and protection of children (Article 3)188lower secondary level•••

ensure to the “maximum extent possible the survival and developmentof the child” (Article 6)protect the child from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual
abuse (Article 34)
ensure that no child is subjected to torture or other cruel, inhumanor degrading treatment or punishment (Article 37).

The teacher explains that these international human rights standards
should likewise guide people in ensuring that children are cared for andprotected from harm.
4. Application
The teacher asks the students to form new small groups and choose any
topic below for their research:
a. national or international laws on the prevention of child abuseb. measures that protect and support mothers regarding maternity andchild carec. novel measures adopted by families to care for mothers and children.
C. Closure
The teacher stresses the importance of understanding ways of improving
the human rights situation in the family, especially the situation of mothers
and children.
IV

EVALUATION
The teacher conducts observation evaluation on the whole process oflearning and teaching.
Alternatively, the teacher asks the students to make a list on why andhow human rights are protected in family.
Notes
Relevant provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child:
Article 3
States Parties undertake to ensure the child such protection and care as is necessary for
his or her well-being, taking into account the rights and duties of his or her parents, legal
guardians, or other individuals legally responsible for him or her, and, to this end, shall take allappropriate legislative and administrative measures.
States Parties shall ensure that the institutions, services and facilities responsible forthe care or protection of children shall conform with the standards established by competentauthorities, particularly in the areas of safety, health, in the number and suitability of theirstaff, as well as competent supervision.

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Article 6
1. States Parties recognize that every child has the inherent right to life.
2. States Parties shall ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and developmentof the child.
Article 19
States Parties shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational
measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse,neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while inthe care of parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any other person who has the care of the child.
Article 24
1. States Parties recognize the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable
standard of health and to facilities for the treatment of illness and rehabilitation of health.
States Parties shall strive to ensure that no child is deprived of his or her right of access to such
health care services.
2. States Parties shall pursue full implementation of this right and, in particular, shalltake appropriate measures:(a) To diminish infant and child mortality;(b) To ensure the provision of necessary medical assistance and health care to all children
with emphasis on the development of primary health care;(c) To combat disease and malnutrition, including within the framework of primary healthcare, through, inter alia, the application of readily available technology and through theprovision of adequate nutritious foods and clean drinking-water, taking into consideration thedangers and risks of environmental pollution;(d) To ensure appropriate pre-natal and post-natal health care for mothers;(e) To ensure that all segments of society, in particular parents and children, are informed,
have access to education and are supported in the use of basic knowledge of child health andnutrition, the advantages of breastfeeding, hygiene and environmental sanitation and theprevention of accidents;(f) To develop preventive health care, guidance for parents and family planning educationand services.
Article 34
States Parties undertake to protect the child from all forms of sexual exploitation andsexual abuse.
Article 35
States Parties shall take all appropriate national, bilateral and multilateral measures toprevent the abduction of, the sale of or traffic in children for any purpose or in any form.
Article 36
States Parties shall protect the child against all other forms of exploitation prejudicial to
any aspects of the child's welfare.
Article 37
States Parties shall ensure that:(a) No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
or punishment. Neither capital punishment nor life imprisonment without possibility of release
shall be imposed for offences committed by persons below eighteen years of age;(b) No child shall be deprived of his or her liberty unlawfully or arbitrarily. The arrest,
detention or imprisonment of a child shall be in conformity with the law and shall be used only
as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time;(c) Every child deprived of liberty shall be treated with humanity and respect for theinherent dignity of the human person and in a manner which takes into account the needs of
persons of his or her age. In particular, every child deprived of liberty shall be separated from190

lower secondary level
adults unless it is considered in the child’s best interest not to do so and shall have the right tomaintain contact with his or her family through correspondence and visits, save in exceptional
circumstances;(d) Every child deprived of his or her liberty shall have the right to prompt access to legal
and other appropriate assistance, as well as the right to challenge the legality of the deprivationof his or her liberty before a court or other competent, independent and impartial authority andto a prompt decision on any such action.

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N3

N PLA

LESSO

Caring for Each Other
School can be defined as the community where teachers and students
gather, share their daily life, and teach or learn together. But it is also a place
where human rights violations are becoming serious social problems. Thereis a need to develop the culture of caring for each other to help improve thehuman rights situation in the school.
Topic				: School Life and human rights
Level				: Lower secondary
Subject				: Extracurricular activity
Human Rights			
: Human rights violations in school
Time Allotment			: One session
I

OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to discuss the human rights violations in school.

II

RESOURCESMedia reports on the enactment of the Students’ Human Rights Ordinance.
One news report is available online: www.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/440444.html.

192

lower secondary level

III

PROCEDURE
A. Opener
The teacher shows videos of the news on the proclamation of Student
Human Rights Ordinances in some schools in Korea.
The teacher asks the students what they feel about the news.
B. Development of Activities
1. Activity
The teacher asks the students to form small groups (not more than 5
per group) and discuss the Student Human Rights Ordinance. The teacher
provides copies of the Ordinance to the groups. The teacher instructs thestudents to give their comments on the different relationships covered by theOrdinance: teacher-student, student-teacher, student-student.
The teacher asks the groups to report to the whole class the results of
their discussion. The teacher writes on the board the major points in thegroup reports.
The teacher provides the students several newspaper articles about
the relationships in the school (teacher-student, student-teacher, studentstudent) covered in the Ordinance. In case, not enough newspaper reportson the three relationships are available, other reports relating to schools canbe used.
The teacher asks the groups to discuss possible violations of the Ordinancein the newspaper reports and to share their discussions to the whole class.
The teacher tells the groups to employ different ways of reporting their
discussions, including the use of drawings and other forms.
2. Analysis
The teacher asks the students several questions:• What are the issues presented in the newspaper reports?
• Why did human rights violations occur in the schools according to
the reports?
• What can be done about such violations?
• Does the Ordinance provide solutions or guidelines on how to address
such violations in schools?
• Do you think the provisions of the Ordinance make sense?
• What do you think are the limitations of the Ordinance?
• What values should be emphasized in order to prevent such violations
from happening again in schools?

193

HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN THE NORTHEAST ASIAN SCHOOL SYSTEMSThe teacher may prepare newspaper reports that present problems such
as:
•
•
•

Teachers’ disregard of the students’ personality
Students’ unruly behavior that disturb the class
Bullying done by students to fellow students focusing on name, sex,
appearance, etc.

3. Abstraction
The teacher explains to the students that the Ordinance tries to address
the issues contained in the newspaper reports as well as other concerns that
affect the students, teachers and even parents in the context of the school.
The teacher emphasizes the value of the Ordinance as basis for determining
what rights should be enjoyed in the schools and why they should not be
violated.
The teacher reminds the students that many of the rights included in
the Ordinance refer to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as statedin its (Ordinance’s) Article 1. Thus the rights are similar to the international
human rights standards.
The teacher clarifies that there are many more rights provided by theinternational human rights standards that the Ordinance does not include.
And because the rights in the Ordinance are contextualized in the school
setting, some rights are specifically education-related such as the right tofreedom to do extra-curricular activities, right to participate in revisingschool regulations, right to participate in decision-making, and rights ofminority students. These rights can be considered related to a large extent to
the international human rights standards.
The chart below provides some of the rights covered by the UDHR:
Chart of Human Rights
•
•
•
•
•

•

194

Right to equality
Freedom from discrimination
Right to life, liberty, personal
security
Freedom from torture anddegrading treatment
Freedom from interferencewith privacy, family, homeand correspondence
Freedom of belief and religion

•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Freedom of opinion andinformation
Right of peaceful assembly andassociation
Right to participate ingovernment and in free elections
Right to social security
Right to adequate living standard
Right to education
Right to participate in thecultural life of communitylower secondary level

4. Application
The teacher asks the students to discuss in groups what practicalmeasures can be done to prevent violations of the Ordinance, and make a listof such measures.
The teacher further instructs the groups to classify their practicalmeasures according to the three relationships covered by the Ordinance(teacher-student, student-teacher, student-student).
The teacher asks the groups to report their lists to the class, and comments
or ask questions on the lists whenever necessary.
5. Closure
The teacher stresses that each student can be an advocate of human rights
in school by understanding the human rights relevant to their situation.
IV

EVALUATION
The teacher can use any suitable way to evaluate student’s understanding
the human rights in school life.
V

ASSIGNMENTThe teacher tells the students to develop, in their respective groups, anaction plan on how to prevent violations of the Ordinance. The action planshould have provisions on the three relationships covered by the Ordinanceand should be based on the practical measures they discussed earlier. Eachgroup would report their action plans in the next session.
Notes
Human rights violations occur in various forms. Preventing people from enjoying theirrights (such as preventing students from studying, or stopping them from using school facilities
such as library or gyms), doing physical harm (such as bullying through physical attack on
students), verbal/online statement that affect the reputation of students (such as calling names
or making threats of violence, or even spreading lies and wrong information about students
through the social media), excluding or ostracizing people from groups (such as forcing
students to leave student clubs or organizations) are all forms of human rights violations. The
list of rights provided in international human rights documents such as the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the Child provide good reference.

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N4

N PLA

LESSO

Family and Social Security
Social security aims to promote the welfare of the population throughassistance measures guaranteeing access to sufficient resources for food andshelter and to promote the health and wellbeing of the population. Services
providing social security are often called social services. All the social security
and welfare services are generally covered by government programs andinterventions. A major part of the programs protects the rights of vulnerable
sectors such as children, the elderly, the sick and the unemployed.
Topic 				Level 				Subject 				Human Rights Concept 				Time Allotment 				

I: Family and Social Security: Lower secondary: Social Studies:
Right to social security
Equal opportunity
Social protection
Social welfare system: One session

OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to:
1. Identify how governments deal with social protection and welfare
programs to improve the quality of life of the people
2. Analyze how basic human rights are implemented and exercisedthrough the government’s social welfare programs and public services.

196lower secondary level

II

RESOURCES• “Social Studies – III” Textbook, UB, 2011, pages 84-87• Local newspapers and TV news programs on the situation of families• Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) – Article 22• Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - Article 26

III

PROCEDURE
A. Opener
The teacher shows a documentary or provide a report about the situationof families in the country due to the changing social and economic conditions,and then asks the students to identify the issues facing the families.
B. Development of Activities
1. Activity
The teacher asks the students to brainstorm on the challenges thatfamilies face in order to enjoy good life. The expected challenges that thestudents will identify may include• finding a job with adequate pay• taking care of young children and/or old people• being able to afford medical treatment for unexpected illnesses• paying for education• getting social services from the government, etc.
The teacher writes on the board a list of the challenges raised by thestudents.
Using the list of challenges on the board, the teacher asks the students
whether or not families in the country would be equally capable of meetingthese challenges.
The expected answer would be that there are families that are not capableof meeting the challenges. The teacher tells the students to cite reasons forthis situation, and makes a list of the reasons on the board.
2. Analysis
The teacher asks the students to form small groups (not more than 5 pergroup) and instructs them to discuss the following question:
Considering the reasons why some families are not in a position
to face the challenges of having an adequate standard of living, what
are the possible measures that the government can provide to thesefamilies?
The students are likely going to cite government programs on healthcare, child care, education, unemployment, pension, etc.
The teacher provides additional questions for group discussion:

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HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN THE NORTHEAST ASIAN SCHOOL SYSTEMS

•
•
•
•

What are the goals of social welfare programs and public services?
Why are these policies and programs important to the people?
What are the steps required to obtain benefits from these welfare
services?
Do you and your parents benefit from each of these services, and if
so, how?

The teacher tells the groups to report the results of their discussion to
the whole class.
3. Abstraction
The teacher introduces the concept of social security, with its goalof ensuring as much as possible that every person is not deprived of theopportunity to enjoy it.
The teacher clarifies that social security is not a matter of privilege but aright that governments are obligated to support. The following provisions of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the Convention on
the Rights of the Child (CRC) provide the bases of the right to social security:
a. Article 22 of the UDHR:
Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security
and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international
co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resourcesof each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensablefor his dignity and the free development of his personality.
b. Article 26 of the CRC:
1. States Parties shall recognize for every child the right to benefit
from social security, including social insurance and shall takethe necessary measures to achieve the full realization of thisright in accordance with their national law.
2. The benefits should, where appropriate, be granted, taking
into account the resources and the circumstances of the childand persons having responsibility for the maintenance ofthe child, as well as any other consideration relevant to an
application for benefits made by or on behalf of the child.
The teacher emphasizes that under the human rights framework,
governments should use whatever resources are available to assure thatpeople enjoy social security. And therefore the current social welfare
programs and other public services of the government should be seen fromthis perspective.

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4. Application
The teacher tells the students to go back to their respective groups andasks them to think of possible ways of improving the social welfare and otherpublic services of the government in terms of the following:
quality and quantity of services being provided
accessibility to such services by those who need them most (such as
children, persons with disabilities, old people, poor people, etc.)
The teacher asks the groups to report the results of their discussion to
the whole class.
C. Closure
The teacher emphasizes that people should benefit from social services
being provided by the government as a matter of right. Social security is anecessary measure to support people who are in a weak or poor situation.
IV

EVALUATION
The teacher asks the students to write a reflection paper on the value ofsocial security to people in general.
Notes
Social security is a fundamental human right recognized in numerous international legal
instruments, in particular the Declaration of Philadelphia (1944), which is an integral part of
the Constitution of the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the Universal Declarationof Human Rights (1948) adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations.
The notion of social security covers all measures providing benefits, whether in cash or in
kind, to secure protection, inter alia, from(a) lack of work-related income (or insufficient income) caused by sickness, disability,
maternity, employment injury, unemployment, old age, or death of a family member;(b) lack of access or unaffordable access to health care;(c) insufficient family support, particularly for children and adult dependants;(d) general poverty and social exclusion.
In social security: (1) benefits are provided to beneficiaries without any simultaneousreciprocal obligation (thus it does not, for example, represent remuneration for work or otherservices delivered); and (2) that it is not based on an individual agreement between the protected
person and provider (as, for example, a life insurance contract) but that the agreement applies
to a wider group of people and so has a collective character.
Access to social security is, in its essential nature, a public responsibility, and is typicallyprovided through public institutions, financed either from contributions or taxes. However,the delivery of social security can be and often is mandated to private entities. Moreover,there exist many privately run institutions (of insurance, self-help, community-based or of amutual character) which can partially assume selected roles usually played by social security,
including in particular occupational pension schemes, which complement and may substitute inconsiderable measure for elements of public social security schemes.
Text taken from World Social Security Report 2010/11: Providing coverage in times of crisisand beyond (Geneva: International Labour Office, 2010), pages 7, 13-14.

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HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN THE NORTHEAST ASIAN SCHOOL SYSTEMS

N5

N PLA

LESSO

Taking Human Rights Action
Learning about human rights significantly contributes to promoting
equality and the rule of law, enhancing participation and democratic processes,
and preventing conflict and human rights violations. Thus human rights
education constitutes a fundamental contribution to the effective realizationand enjoyment of human rights at all levels. One of the contents, as well as
impact, of human rights education is learning what to do to protect, promote
and realize human rights.
Topic 				Level 				Subject 				Human Rights Concept 				Time Allotment				: Taking Human Rights Action: Lower secondary: Social Studies:
Rule of law and human rights
Legal aspects of human rights: One session

I

OBJECTIVE
Students will be able to demonstrate what they have learned abouthuman rights and take a stand for community members whose rights are
not respected, protected or realized.
II

RESOURCES• “Social Studies – III” Textbook, UB., 2011, pages 88-92

200

lower secondary level•“Grandma fighting for human rights,” video of the AsiaPacific Youth Network (APYN) – available at www.youtube.com/
watch?v=n6qerj3PbWw

III

PROCEDURE
A. Opener
The teacher shows the human rights education video “Grandma fighting
for human rights” and asks the students to reflect on what options the oldwoman in the video has in resolving the problem she faces.
The teacher writes a list on the board of what the students say as mainideas on their reflection.
B. Development of Activities
1. Activity
The teacher introduces the Human Rights Portfolio, which is a recordof the work demonstrating an individual’s and collective’s journey andaccomplishments in learning human rights.
The teacher explains that Human Rights Portfolio may cover different
activities such as the following:• Organizing a school event to raise awareness on the human rights
issues• Researching about institutions that can provide help to people inneed such as those providing legal assistance• Learning how to write to relevant government agency about casesthat may involve human rights violations• Visiting a human rights organization or the national human rights
institution to learn about their programs.
The portfolio will have to:• Record the actions that they have taken to raise awareness abouthuman rights issues• List actions they have taken to help others• Include information they have learned about human rights issues• Record any events they have been part of to contribute to humanrights issues as well as the results of these events (e.g., making
human rights posters).
• Write observations and reflections on things they may have seen that
affected them.
The teacher shows a sample Human Rights Portfolio, Annex 1.

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HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN THE NORTHEAST ASIAN SCHOOL SYSTEMS

2. Analysis
The teacher asks the students to form small groups (not more than 5
per group) and discuss the human rights involved in the video “Grandma
fighting for human rights.” The groups likewise discuss what measures canbe done by other people to help the old woman resolve her problem.
The teacher allows the groups sufficient time to work on their projects,
and encourages them to think about ways to present their projects to theirpeers and their community.
The teacher reminds them that the output of their discussions (boththe activities being planned, the expected output, and their reflections or
thoughts about the activities and the issues) should be recorded in the formof a Human Rights Portfolio.
3. Abstraction
The teacher cites the good points in the Human Rights Portfolios of thegroups to say that human rights are those things that affect people in theirordinary lives and thus can be enjoyed (or resolved in case of violations)in simple ways. However, some human rights issues are complicated andinvolve institutions (government or private entities) and thus their resolution
requires the help of institutions with capacity and program to resolve humanrights issues.
The teacher points to relevant domestic laws that protect human rights(e.g., anti-discrimination laws, law against domestic violence, law to protect
farmers) and cite their provisions on what people can do to enforce or protect
their rights.
C. Closing
The teacher closes the session by pointing to the importance of seeing
human rights from a practical perspective. The teacher emphasizes
the importance of concrete measures on human rights action ranging
from educational activities, to research, to visiting relevant government
institutions, to providing help to people whose human rights have been
violated.
IV

EVALUATION
The teacher conducts observation evaluation on the whole process oflearning and teaching.

202lower secondary level

Annex 1
Sample Human Rights Portfolio
Date &
Place

Activity(Describe activities
or events in detail.
Activities refer to what
the students would liketo undertake. Eventsrefer to activities
organized by otherpeople that the students
can attend.)

Results/
Output(expected)

Comments/Reflection(Writeconcreteresults or
outputs)(Write any thoughtsthat affect thestudents personallywhile doing theactivities, as well as
any learning thatstudents gain in theprocess)203