Amnesty International today revealed that over 90% of secondary schools across Northern Ireland are all set to join in ‘Our Rights’ Birthday celebrations this year.

The celebrations are designed to mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on December 10th. This was drafted in the aftermath of the Second World War and set out for the first time international rights and freedoms for citizens across the globe. The celebrations are supported by the Co-operative Bank as part of its Customers’ Who Care ‘Defending Human Rights’ campaign in partnership with Amnesty.

The schools have all signed up to take Amnesty’s new DVD education resource, Human Rights Are Our Rights.

The resource is just one of a menu of activities Amnesty has made available to schools to mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which also led to the creation of Amnesty International.

Fionna Smyth, Campaigns Officer said:

“The response has been phenomenal. The UDHR set out 30 basic rights 60 years ago, and the response from British schools shows that they are as relevant now as they were back in 1948.

“Each article should be cherished by everyone, which is why we are calling them ‘Our Rights’.

“The 60th anniversary itself falls on 10 December, but schools can take part in the birthday celebrations of ‘Our Rights’ anytime between now and the end of term.”

The resources being made available to schools include a new three-minute animated film Everybody, which stars Julian Rhind-Tutt; access to Amnesty speakers; and a new human rights passport. A full list of available ‘Our Rights’ resources can be viewed at www.amnesty.org.uk/our-rights .

Ms F McCaul, Learning for Life and Work Teacher at St. Josephs Boys School, L’Derry said:
This is an excellent educational pack. The short films were very effective and the worksheets that accompany the films used language which the pupils could easily understand. The pack lends itself to further discussion if need be. A valuable resource and one which I will be able to use again and again!

Human Rights Are Our Rights, Everybody and the UDHR passport have been funded by The Co-operative Bank as part of their ‘Defending Human Rights’ campaign in partnership with Amnesty International.