Educating Children About Human Rights
Research on human rights education demonstrates that children who learn about and experience their rights exhibit good citizenship and understand better the connection between their rights and the rights of others. In contrast, children who do not learn about human rights are more likely to view rights as entitlements for themselves. Given the benefits of human rights education, even for relatively young children, it is critical to reflect on the lessons children are learning about human rights.
Children receive a variety of messages, both rights affirming and rights restricting, from the stories they read (or have read to them) and the television and films they watch. While some narratives reaffirm core principles of human rights, others portray grave violations of children’s rights. As the new school year approaches and parents and teachers contemplate which new books to select for their children, they might consider the human rights messages that particular stories convey.
Ultimately, if our goal is to ensure that children grow and develop into engaged adults citizens who are equipped to realize the full range of their rights, then advocates, educators, and parents should pay greater attention to the messages children learn about their rights and the rights of others.
For more discussion on human rights in children’s literature, see The Portrayal of Rights in Children’s Literature Teach Important Lessons in the New York Times Room for Debate series and A Person’s a Person: Children’s Rights in Children’s Literature published in the Columbia Human Rights Law Review.