Translating human rights principles into classroom practices: inequities in educating about human rights

ABSTRACT

The overarching aim of this paper is to explore how key principles inherent in human rights declarations and conventions are translated into practices associated with human rights education within school contexts. It is argued that this translation from discourse to practice opens up the potential for children and young people to encounter inequitable experiences of human rights education, and that this is an ethical issue that needs addressing. Within the paper, human rights education relates to both direct teaching about human rights, and to children and young peoples’ experiences of how school practitioners acknowledge and uphold their rights. In both national and international contexts, knowledge and understanding about school-based human rights education is lacking; this paper aims to address this issue by developing a theoretical framework through which to view human rights education practices within school settings.

KEYWORDS:

• Children and young peoples' rights
• human rights education
• rights inequalities
• school curriculum

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Carol Robinson

Carol Robinson is an associate professor at the Education Research Centre, University of Brighton. Her research interests combine theoretical and empirical work focusing on two main areas: the voices, experiences and rights of children and young people; and the development of learning and professional knowledge through doctoral study.