Human Rights Friendly Schools NEWSLETTER March-April 2015 Dear Friends, Welcome to the March April 2015 edition of Human Rights Friendly Schools News! Amnesty International s Human Rights Friendly Schools programme aims to empower young people and promote the active participation of all members of the school community to integrate human rights values and principles into all areas of school life. Amnesty International works in partnership with schools around the world, supporting their journey to becoming human rights friendly. This newsletter aims to share information, ideas and experiences across the International Human Rights Friendly Schools Network and beyond. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.amnesty.org/en/human-rights-education/projectsinitiatives/rfsp or contact us at HumanRightsFriendlySchools@amnesty.org In this issue: News of the Month International Campaign against Discrimination of Romani students in the Czech Republic Interview of the Month Emmanuel Satie, National Coordinator for Human Rights Education, Amnesty International Sierra Leone Voice for the voiceless Live on the radio amid the Ebola crisis Story of the Month Amnesty International Mali has launched its Human Rights Friendly Schools programme! Material of the Month Respect My Rights, Respect My Dignity: Sexual and Reproductive Rights are Human Rights More newsletters available online in English, French and Spanish See the latest January-February 2015 edition of the Newsletter here. From earlier years: 2013 http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/pol32/010/2013/en http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/pol32/006/2013/en http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/pol32/004/2013/en http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/pol32/003/2013/en http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/pol32/002/2013/en 2012 http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/pol32/015/2012/en http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/pol32/014/2012/en http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/pol32/013/2012/en http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/pol32/012/2012/en http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/pol32/011/2012/en 1
NEWS OF THE MONTH Must Try Harder International campaign against discrimination of Romani children in schools in the Czech Republic 23 April 2015 marked the kick-off Amnesty International s new international campaign Learn the Lesson. From 23 April to 1 September 2015 Amnesty aims to push the Czech authorities to acknowledge the ethnic discrimination of Romani children in schools as an existing problem, and make an explicit commitment to ending it. For that, in the coming months, we will be calling loud and clear on the Czech Prime Minister to end discrimination of Romani children in the Czech Republic. The international appeal is hosted on the campaign's dedicated page - www.amnesty.org/musttryharder. All Amnesty International sections and national offices implementing the Human Rights Friendly Schools programme are encouraged to take up the issue of the segregation and discrimination of Romani and other vulnerable kids around the globe. A booklet with two stories of Romani children who experienced discrimination and segregation in the educational system has been created to support human rights education efforts of sections and national offices. Please feel free to use it, in conjunction with the rest of the materials, in your activities with youth, teachers and schools, and in public events, etc. Please promote the campaign and the action and help us create what we want to be a strong and global call on the Czech authorities to learn the lesson and try harder and for real to end this decades-long injustice. Video How do you spell discrimination? available in EN, FR, ES and AR; Romani children in Ostrava, Czech Republic, April 2015 Amnesty International "School progress for the Czech government" postcard (for offline use) is available in EN, FR, ES, GE, AR and CZ at https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/eur71/1368/2015/en/ Booklet with stories of Romani children who experienced discrimination and segregation in mainstream and practical schools available at https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/eur71/1367/2015/en/ (available in EN, CZ and FR) Must try harder report - https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/eur71/1353/2015/en/; 2
INTERVIEW OF THE MONTH Voice for the voiceless Live on the radio amid the Ebola crisis Emmanuel Satie, National Coordinator for Human Rights Education, Amnesty International Sierra Leone In some countries, it is easy to get people involved in the Human Rights Friendly Schools programme, whilst in others it is challenging to reach out to schools and teachers. But what happens if the schools are closed down for several months during the official school year? This has recently been the case in Sierra Leone. Emmanuel, could you briefly introduce yourself? I have been working for Amnesty International Sierra Leone as the National Coordinator for Human Rights Education since January 2014. Before that I served as Interim Human Rights Education Coordinator from September 2013. However, right now, I am also responsible for issues related to reproductive health and maternal mortality (My Body, My Rights Campaign). I am also in charge of the Human Rights Capacity Building Programme (HURICAP) which is funded by AI Netherlands. I studied Linguistics and Literature at undergraduate level, and for my masters I studied Rural Development Studies in NJala University in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. What brought you to Amnesty? The passion to be a voice for the voiceless. Do you have any experience or personal story to tell about the "voiceless"? Emmanuel Sattie, Amnesty International Sierra Leone 2015 Amnesty International I started this during my university studies. I was made the student union Education Minister. My job was to be the lead advocate between the academic staff and university management. I was able to ensure that poorer students get scholarships, and free accommodation on many occasions. I also taught my colleagues how to challenge their rights. In Sierra Leone, about 60-80% of students can t afford to pay for their fees either because their family is poor, or they lost their parents during the eleven-year-long civil war. Most of these students rely on the government support, but mainly it is not given to deserving students. What areas of work are you currently focusing on in Amnesty International Sierra Leone? We are targeting communities and trying to reach out to schools with the focus on women s rights, the prevention of female genital mutilation and fighting young marriage. Thanks God schools have just reopened, as they were closed for nine months due to the outbreak of the Ebola virus. Among other things, we met His Excellency the President, and discussed the integration of human rights education into the school curriculum. We are also conducting a survey to ask people's opinion for the introduction of human rights education into the school curriculum. We have distributed the questionnaires across the country, targeting school authorities, community stakeholders, school pupils, non-governmental organisations working on education, and the Ministry of Education in Sierra Leone. 3
Can you tell us about Human Rights Friendly Schools in Sierra Leone? At the moment, the greatest challenge we face is the lack of funding, and of course the Ebola virus. We were to work on the project this school-year but then all schools had to close down. We planned the project this year in 15 schools across the country, where our experience of working with communities would be of great value. However, due to the breakout of Ebola schools had been closed for nine months since last September. They have only just started to operate, and families are still struggling to get their kids to school after nine months at home. The country has now registered zero new cases of Ebola, which is in fact why schools started functioning last week. Did you have any contacts with students or teachers during the closure of schools? During these nine months radio was the main channel where I could reach out to students. Radio broadcasts are very expensive but effective. A lot of students have come to know Amnesty's work through the radio engagement. Topics such as the Training My Body, My Rights, Sierra Leone 2015 Amnesty International rights and responsibilities of children and parents were discussed, and I was often the main panellist. Our discussions were received with great interest from both parents and children. I also invited students to come on the radio with me to express their human rights concerns, and this We still have thousands of is going well. The programme was aired on Sky Radio three kids that need to go to school. times a week, and lasted 90 minutes. Each time I am on radio discussing human rights issues, students ask that we go to In fact, the Ebola outbreak their schools and start working there. even emphasised the need for What was the most striking for you as Amnesty's voice-giving quality education. man? The issues of the rights of the child and domestic violence. On the topic of rights of the child, we dealt with the right to education. Sierra Leone still has thousands of kids that need to go to school. In fact, the Ebola outbreak even emphasised the need. In the domestic space, we still have issues of early forced marriage and female genital mutilation. All of these have been striking and challenging points of discussion for me. Apart from these, one World Health Organisation says issue of particular concern now in Sierra Leone is the situation of pregnant schools girls. Due to the economic crisis that between the outbreak and caused by Ebola and the closure of schools many young girls early May 2015, a total number of in poor settings were forced to prostitute themselves to 12 440 Ebola cases and 3903 support their families. Other forms of sexual exploitation were deaths were reported in Sierra also perceived and a great number of students got pregnant. Leone. The the first week of May The government of Sierra Leone has now stopped these multitude of girls from going to school and taking their exams. 2015 saw just nine new cases Amnesty International Sierra Leone advocated with the confirmed. government to allow these girls to sit their exams, and other organisations have joined us to push this through, but the government is really very strong on this decision. 4
Are there any other issues and activities of Amnesty International Sierra Leone you would like to highlight? There is also the issue of stigma and discrimination against Ebola survivors and families in my country nowadays. We have just taken the lead to champion a campaign on stopping stigma and discrimination against Ebola orphans, survivors and families. This is in fact our biggest challenge now since some kids fear going to school because they lost their parents/guardians to Ebola. We have already conducted two training workshops for community teachers, students and community members in two districts in this campaign. They were a great success, and local authorities in our communities are calling upon us to deliver similar trainings in the entire country. To find out more about Amnesty International Sierra Leone s efforts and activities, contact Emmanuel Sattie, National Coordinator for Human Rights Education, Amnesty International Sierra Leone at sattie24@gmail.com STORY OF THE MONTH AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL MALI: Launching Human Rights Friendly Schools! Amnesty International Mali started implementing the Human Rights Friendly Schools programme in November 2014. The Human Rights Education Team at Amnesty International Mali is also making efforts to cooperate with other associations and foundations interested in the programme. When starting the programme Amnesty Mali says it is important to find the best way to approach the schools. There are as many best practices as there are participant schools: you can start by approaching the management, or finding dedicated teachers who can help your section to make a promising start. No matter how you do it, it is important to learn lessons from others. In Amnesty International Mali s Human Rights Friendly Schools programme there are plans to work with six schools: four located in the capital Bamako, one in Sikasso and As part of this project, young people will develop and implement their own action plans to attract the attention of their peers, parents, teachers and to challenge the school authorities on human rights issues and poverty they have already learned in past programmes. Diam Boubacar Ly, AI Mali national youth representative, facilitator-trainer in Young Leaders for Change project. one in Mopti. The focus of the Human Rights Friendly Schools launch was a training and meeting for members of the school communities of participant schools, which laid down the basis of cooperation between Amnesty International Mali and the schools. These events also highlighted issues that the school communities were facing, and fostered discussions on how to address these. The first human rights training was delivered in Optimum High School in Bamako on 15 November 2014, for 20 teachers and three members of the management team. During the training, participants set up a dialogue framework and agreed on the school s name for the programme. According to plans, the school s debate club, composed of 300 students and 30 teachers, will integrate human rights issues in its daily actions. At the Sogoniko Educational Centre in Bamako, human rights trainings were attended by 20 teachers and five headmasters, a representative of the Educational Centre, and an 5
educational adviser. Teachers called for an extension of the programme to more schools, and they also raised the issue of introducing democratic processes at schools. Trainers emphasised the need for students participation in leadership which will not impede the learning process at schools. Students passivity, and the issue of corporal punishment at schools, were also raised. Participants noted that the Human Rights Friendly Schools approach would be a good tool to address these issues. Fourteen teachers and the secretary participated in the training meeting at the Colombe High School in Bamako in November 2014. In this school there was already a framework for a monthly consultation with parents and students representatives, and this will be strengthened by the programme. It is a challenge for the school and teachers to find time for awareness-raising sessions in formal education. Recommendations from the training were, among others, the multiplication of trainings, the development of partnership with other schools, and the creation of websites. In Sikasso (some 400 km away from the capital) the programme was launched via a meeting that was attended by 24 participants including seven women. Among the participants there were teachers, local group members of Amnesty International Mali, a representative of a humanitarian organisation, the supervisor and the Solidarity School Assistant. The meeting was used to introduce the project and Amnesty s activities, as well as the Stop Torture and My Body, My Rights campaigns. Participants highlighted the issues the school is facing, which included problems of organising regular meetings and trainings for stakeholders of the programme, and the sanitary problems in this school. They also emphasised the need for discussions about democracy at schools, and the involvement of the school administration. The training sessions held at Chaîne Grise High School were attended by seven teachers and the General Supervisor. During the workshop participants focused on two key areas of the programme: school curriculum and improving relations between school administration and parents. During the discussion, participants resolved to set up a framework of dialogue with parents and to increase the number of training sessions. The latest human rights friendly event in this school was organised by the Amnesty Club on 7 March 2015, and focused on women s rights. The event was organised one day before International Women s Day on 8 March. It was attended by 30 students, and the Chief Supervisor. The club s sponsor, Mr Dembélé Aïssata Kanté both financially supported the action and took responsibility for it, and the event was It is important in the world, and especially in Africa where human rights are not respected, that everyone knows his rights, and be aware of the necessity to fight for their protection. I will not close my eyes to the violence. I would ensure that everyone can understand his rights by inviting my friends, my relatives. Fatouma Ballo, student at La Colombe High School, Bamako, Mali Group photo, Chaîne Grise High School, Bamako, Mali 2015 Amnesty International 6
attended by Mr Mohamed El Béchir Singaré, Amnesty International Mali s Legal Coordinator and Ms Hadja Samaké from Wildaf Mali (Women in Law and Development in Africa) with Mr Hamane Touré, Amnesty International Mali s Human Rights Education National Coordinator, acting as moderator. This meeting allowed for exchanges with students, initially on human rights, their historical foundations and definition, its main international, regional, and national legal instruments and principles and the African concept of these human rights. Young people also discussed women s rights, gender-based violence, sexual violence, the evolution of violence against women, focusing on discrimination they suffer from birth to adulthood when they are supposed to take responsibility for making decisions. This year Amnesty International and its partners have stepped up actions for the protection and promotion of sexual and reproductive rights. Encouraging results, a promising start of the programme, and some identified challenges, particularly in relation to teachers availability, communication and funding. All these marked the launch of the Human Rights Friendly Schools programme in Mali. Good luck with your efforts! For more information, contact Hamane Toure, Human Rights Education, National Coordinator at Amnesty International Mali: hamane.toure@amnestymali.org MATERIAL OF THE MONTH Respect My Rights, Respect My Dignity: Sexual and Reproductive Rights are Human Rights This module on sexual and reproductive rights is the third in a series of human rights education resources for young people. It is designed to be used by and with young people and youth activists as they support their peers through individual and collective journeys of reflection, critical analysis and action. This includes having the knowledge and skills to engage in difficult conversations on a taboo subject and to stand up for sexual and reproductive rights. AI Index No. ACT 31/0010/2015. You can download the manual (available in English, French and Spanish) here: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/act30/0010/2015/en/ If you would like to share your experiences of the Human Rights Friendly Schools programme or have news from your section related to this initiative, please contact the International Human Rights Education Team at Amnesty International in London (HumanRightsFriendlySchools@amnesty.org) no later than 15 June 2015, if you wish your entry to be published in the next edition of the Human Rights Friendly Schools News. 7