United Nations - The Declaration of Human Rights

WHAT ARE HUMAN RIGHTS?

Human rights are the rights and freedoms that we all have.

• Some human rights are based on our physical needs - The right to life. To food. To shelter.
• Other human rights protect us.  - The right to be free from torture, cruel treatment and abuse.
• Human rights are also there to ensure the we develop to our fullest potential - The right to education. to work. To participate in your community. 

Everybody has human rights. It doesn't matter who you are, where you come from, what language you speak or what religion you follow. You have a duty to respect to rights of others, just as they have a duty to respect yours. Nobody can take your rights away.

WHY DO HUMAN RIGHTS MATTER TO ME?

Human rights matter to us all.
In the UK

• One child in three is poor
• One child in four is physically abused
• One child in seven does not have a proper home

It is vital that all young people know their rights!

WHERE DO RIGHTS COME FROM?

Human rights are based on the values of:

• Dignity - self respect
• Justice - fairness
• Respect - for others
• Equality - equal treatment / justice

Human rights were officially recognised as values by the world when the United Nations was set up.

WHAT IS THE UNITED NATIONS

• The United nations (UN) is an international organisation that was established in 1945, the year the second world war ended
• Its founders hoped it would be able to prevent catastrophes like the Holocaust from happening in the future
• So promoting human rights became an aim of the UN, along with maintaining international peace and reducing poverty

THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human rights (UDHR) is the most famous human rights agreement in the world. It contains 30 human rights. They were written by Australia, Chile, France, Lebanon, former soviet union, the UK and the US.

The power of one

It was originally a novel written by Bryce Courtney, both the book and the movie were set in South Africa during the 1930s and 1940s. Based on the same story.
The main characters include P.K and Giel Piet.
The most interesting scene is when P.K has everybody singing and the guards are unaware of what the lyrics include. The use of set here, where P.K is in a caged off area with the pianist, separated form the natives. It is horrific when his friend is physically hurt, by a guard trying to understand why they are so enthusiastic in singing. Piet is beaten to death after a concert for the Governor general. Other scenes are when his girlfriend died, When he is teaching English and when the police raid the town.
Main themes include:
- Racism
- Discrimination
- Leadership
- Oppression
- power
- self realisation
- apartheid
The film made me feel sad and uncomfortable. It was very horrific to see what was happening. It taught me to not that my life for granted and appreciate how lucky we are in a country free of war.