Hello, everyone.

My name is Ms. Wyatt, and I'm so pleased that you could join me here today for our citizenship lesson.

Welcome to today's lesson on "What Tools are Used by Human Rights Defenders Around the World?" from the unit, "What Tools Can we Use to Challenge Injustice in our Communities?" By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain what is meant by duty bearer injustice, and explain how human rights defenders can take action.

We'll be using the following key words in today's lesson, and these are "human rights" and "duty bearer." Human rights are basic rights and freedoms that all people are entitled to.

And duty bearer is someone who has a responsibility or obligation to do something like protect people's rights or follow the rules.

So these keywords may be new to you today, but please don't worry as I am here to guide you.

Our lesson on what tools are used by human rights defenders around the world is broken up into two parts.

With the first part exploring can duty bearers cause injustice? And then looking at how do human rights defenders fight injustice.

So when you're ready, let's begin today's lesson.

Injustice is when people are treated unfairly or denied their rights.

It can happen anywhere in the world and affect anyone.

It can be caused by individuals, for example, bullying or discrimination, or by organisations, for example, businesses denying fair pay.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights includes 30 articles that protect people from the misuse of power by duty bearers.

So these articles that you can see here on the screen, 1 to 30, are our human rights.

So we have the right to be free and equal in dignity.

We have the right to education.

We have the right to freedom of belief.

A duty bearer is someone who is responsible for protecting human rights.

Duty bearers can be individuals, however, more often, they are governments or organisations that have the legal framework to ensure people's human rights are protected and to take action if they're not.

Can duty bearers be the cause of injustice then? Well, Sam says, "Duty bearers can cause injustice by failing to protect human rights such as equality before the law, education, and freedom of speech." Jacob says, "Sadly, there are many examples of duty bearer injustice that exist around the world today." But recognising injustice caused by duty bearers is the first step to challenging and defending our human rights.

So being able to identify that injustice and recognise it is the first step to doing that.

For example, since the Taliban took back control of Afghanistan in 2021, Afghani girls over the age of 12 have had their right to education, Article 26, denied.

So they're not allowed to study.

Afghanistan is the only country in the world where secondary and higher education is strictly forbidden to girls and women.

UNESCO estimate that this affects 1.

2 million girls and women in the country.

So how do you think this injustice impacts Afghanistan? Have a think about this for a second.

Well, Andeep says "The education ban for girls over 12 in Afghanistan means many are denied their right to education.

This limits their future job opportunities, increases poverty, and deepens gender inequality within the country." Sam says "It increases poverty because the country loses out on the talents of half of its population, which harms the economy over time." So let's check our understanding so far.

Which of the following statements is true about girls' education in Afghanistan since 2021? Is it A, fewer than 100,000 girls have been affected by school closures in Afghanistan? Is it B, the Taliban has reopened most schools to boys and girls equally? Or is it C, Afghanistan is the only country where girls are banned from secondary and higher education? Pause the video and make your choice.

Okay, so hopefully we've made our decision by now.

We should have said C is the statement that is true about girls education in Afghanistan since 2021.

It is the only country where girls are banned from secondary and higher education.

Reports from human rights organisations and independent media have raised concerns about restrictions on freedom of expression, which is Article 19, and the right to peaceful assembly, which is Article 20, in Russia.

in 2022, during public demonstrations against the war in Ukraine, thousands of protesters were detained by authorities.

Media freedom in Russia is reported to be limited, with many outlets either state-controlled or subject to regulations that restrict critical coverage.

So how do you think this injustice affects people living in Russia? Well, Andeep says "This injustice means people in Russia can't freely speak out, protest, or access independent media.

And Sam says, "People may feel scared to share opinions or learn the truth, which limits freedom and weakens democracy." So what is one concerned raised by human rights organisations about Russia in recent years? You have three options to choose from.

Pause the video, read through the options, and make your decision.

Okay, so the one concern raised by human rights organisations about Russia is that authorities have restricted media and detained peaceful protestors.

So in 2022, Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman, died in custody after being arrested by Iran's morality police for allegedly not wearing her headscarf according to government regulations.

Her death sparked nationwide protests.

International human rights groups reported that Iranian authorities responded with force, including detaining protests and using live ammunition and tear gas to disperse crowds.

These actions raise concerns about the violation of the right to peaceful assembly, which is Article 20, and the Right to Life and Security, which is Article 3.

Individuals in Iran may face arrest or violence for expressing dissenting views, particularly in relation to women's rights and government policies.

How do you think this injustice impacts people living in Iran? Well, Andeep says, "This injustice could affect people living in Iran by making them feel unsafe and unheard.

Many were afraid to speak out or protest." "Women do not have freedom to choose how they dress.

This injustice limits people's rights and damages everyday life." says Sam.

So true or false? Duty bearers do not cause injustice.

Is that true or is it false? Hopefully, we've all said it's false.

Duty bearers can deny or abuse people's human rights, which causes injustice as a result.

So well done if you said false.

For this task, we need to explain, do duty bearers cause injustice? So we need to make sure include what injustice means.

We need to explain what the universal declaration of human Rights is, what human rights are, and can we give an example? Explain what a duty bearer is and give an example of a duty bearer injustice.

So when you are ready, pause the video and have a go at this task.

Okay, time for our answers.

So how does your answer compare to Jun's? so Jun says "Injustice means unfair treatment or the denial of human rights.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UDHR, is a list of 30 human rights that everyone should have, for example, the Right to Life.

Duty bearers are powers such as governments, who are responsible for protecting people's human rights.

Sometimes they deny or abuse people's rights.

An example of duty bearer injustice is the Taliban's ban on girls 12 and over going to school in Afghanistan.

The ban means that they're denying the girls the right to the education.

So I wonder if you chose the same example of a duty bearer injustice as Jun did.

We have now looked at can duty bearers cause justice? And we're going to look at how do human rights defenders fight injustice.

So human rights defenders peacefully promote and protect human rights.

They speak truth to power, challenging powerful individuals or governments, or duty bearers, when people's rights are ignored or violated.

Human rights defenders can be individuals, groups, or organisations, like Amnesty International, who you may have heard of.

So true or false? Human rights defenders are always individuals.

Time for our answers.

We should have said false.

Human rights defenders can also be groups or organisations, not just individuals.

For example, Amnesty International is a global organisation that fights for human rights around the world.

Well done if you got that right.

Human rights defenders use many different tools to fight injustice, such as: peaceful protests and demonstrations, media, social media, and online campaigns, and legal action and challenging laws.

So lots of different ways to fight injustice here.

What other tools do human rights defenders use? Well, they share personal stories to raise awareness.

They will use lobbying.

They may form petitions and public letters.

So true or false? Human rights defenders peacefully promote and protect human rights.

Hopefully we've all said true.

This is right.

They peacefully promote and protect human rights.

Malala Yousafzai, who survived a Taliban attack in Pakistan in 2012, has become a leading voice for girls' rights for education.

Izzy says "She has met with global leaders, supported Afghan girls through her charity, and called for action to reopen schools for girls in Afghanistan.

In January, 2024, on the International Day of Education, "Amnesty International started an online campaign highlighting the personal stories of Afghan girls that are denied education.

They set up an online petition to show global support for girls' education in Afghanistan.

So why do you think the personal stories were used in the campaign? Why do you think that might be powerful? Well, Sofia says, "Personal stories make the issue real and emotional." And Aisha says, "Hearing how the ban affects girls' lives helps people understand and care more, which builds support." Memorial was a Russian human rights group known for documenting Soviet-era abuses and supporting people considered political prisoners.

In 2021, that Russian governments shut it down, accusing it of acting as a foreign agent.

Supporters argue it was targeted because of its work, uncovering uncomfortable truths about the country's past and present.

In 2022, Memorial was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its contribution to human rights.

So why was the Human Rights Organisation Memorial shut down by the Russian government in 2021? You've got four options.

Make your choice from those options.

Okay, it was shut down because it was accused of acting as a foreign agent.

In Russia, journalist Marina Ovsyannikova made international headlines when she held up a sign protesting the war in Ukraine during a live national TV broadcast.

After being placed under house arrest, she fled to France with support from the group Reporters Without Borders.

Marina was sentenced to over eight years in prison in her absence for allegedly spreading false information about the Russian army.

Human Rights Activists in Iran, HRAI, is a group founded in 2006 that works to protect human rights in Iran.

They focus on key issues like freedom of speech, women's rights, and ending the death penalty.

HRAI also investigates and reports human rights violations, helping raise awareness both in Iran and around the world.

Narges Mohammadi is an Iranian human rights activist who was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote freedom and challenge restrictions on women in Iran.

She has been imprisoned multiple times, serving sentences that total 31 years, but continues her activism from behind bars.

In 2022, she supported the protest that followed the death of Mahsa Amini, calling for justice and reform.

So what is one way Narges Mohammadi continued her human rights work while she was in prison? Is it writing international reports on prison conditions? Did she organise online campaigns with other activists? Did she support protests after the death of Mahsa Amini? Or helping foreign journalists report on Iran? What was it? Okay, hopefully we've said she supported protests after the death of Mahsa Amini.

Well done if you got that correct.

Some people take great personal risks to defend human rights.

Not everyone can or should take those kind of risks.

There are many safe legal ways to stand up for what is right.

So some would say, I'd speak out in a way that feels right for me, like raising awareness or supporting campaigns.

Others would say, I admire people who take risks for justice, but I would want to stay safe.

And others say, I'm not sure what I'd do yet, but I care about fairness and people's rights.

Human rights defenders can face many challenges, so they have limited communication methods.

They have fear of damaging reputation.

They risk imprisonment or death.

There's an emotional stress that comes with this.

They fear for their safety.

And there's limited access to decision makers.

So let's fill in the two blanks that we have here.

Some human rights defenders take great personal risks to speak out.

They may face, blank, limited access to decision makers and emotional stress.

Not everyone needs to take big risks, there are ways to help like raising awareness or supporting, blank.

So let's pause the video and have a go through in these gaps.

Okay, everybody.

So we should have said, they may face imprisonment and supporting campaigns.

So if you read it back through, your sentences should make sense with the words "imprisonment" and "campaigns" being filled in.

For this task, we need to explain how human rights defenders fight injustice.

Now, within this, we need to include the definition of human rights defenders, at least two examples of ways that they can fight the injustice, an example of a challenge that they face, and an example of a human rights defender that we've looked at today.

When you are ready, pause the video and have a good go.

Well done, everyone.

So how does your answer now compare to Lucas'? "Human rights Defenders are people who speak truth to power, the duty bearers, who deny or abuse human rights and take action to protect people's rights.

They fight injustice in many ways, such as raising awareness, protesting peacefully, or sharing personal stories.

They often face serious challenges like the risk of arrest, imprisonment, or threats to their safety from duty bearers.

Marina Ovsyannikova is an example of a human rights defender.

She held up a sign on Russian TV to speak out against the war in Ukraine and to stand up for freedom of speech.

So I wonder if you used Marina or you used an example of another human rights defender.

But well done on your efforts on this task.

We have now come to the end of our lesson on what tools are used by human rights defenders around the world.

And I'm going to summarise it into a few points for us.

Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms everyone should have, like education, safety, and free speech.

Sometimes people in power, known as duty bearers, deny or abuse these rights causing injustice.

Human rights defenders are individuals, groups, or organisations who speak truth to power and take action to protect people's rights.

For example, Narges Mohammadi from Iran has campaigned for women's rights and freedoms. Defenders face big challenges like arrest, threats, or limited ways to share their message, but they keep going to create change and support others.

Thank you so much for joining me in today's lesson.

I hope you've learned a lot about the different tools that are used by human rights defenders all around the world.

Thank you for your efforts and see you in the next one.