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Lesson Plan
Part Three: You Can Do Something About It

This is the last section. Its purpose is to show the children how they can protect their own and other peoples' rights.

Section 1: Responsibility for the rights of others.

This section teaches the students that having rights does not mean that they can take away others' rights in the name of exercising their own. They must grant others their rights as well as uphold their own.

1. Review Article 29 "Our Responsibilities — We have a duty to other people, and we should protect their rights and freedoms."

2. Have the students remember the example of the student yelling "Fire!" in the middle of a town. Explain how others could have been hurt in that situation. This will help them grasp their responsibilities, since the children in the example had the right to work in peace and not be lied to and frightened about a fire that did not exist. Help them realize they cannot insist on their rights to the harm or injury of others.

3. Have them give examples of how they could exercise their rights to hinder others.

4. Now have them give examples of how they can defend their own rights while granting others their rights.

Section 2: Telling others about human rights violations.

This section explains how the children can tell others about human rights violations so these can be handled.

1. Ask what they would do if they witnessed a violation of someone's rights.

2. Give them suggestions for action:

  1. Tell their parents, teachers or local police. Have them approach another student who pretends to be one of the above and tell the student about a human rights violation they noticed.
  2. Write to local and international groups – NGOs (non-governmental organizations), United Nations groups and human rights organizations. Make sure they know what a non-governmental organization is.
  3. Write to their government – local, national or international.
  4. Add any other appropriate ways they can report an abuse.
  5. Have them write such a letter and send it.
  6. Give them a copy of the address list. Tell them they can come to you when they need help writing a letter or telling someone about a human rights violation.


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