Human Rights

What are human rights?

The basic rights and freedoms to which
humans are entitled.
Human Rights are

Universal; everyone
around the world has
them

Inherent; we all own them

because as humans we are
born with them

Task 1: Human Rights

1. How would you define Human Rights?
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2. List 5 things which you think are essential to life.
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3. Write down as many Rights as you can think of
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4. Can you place these Rights in order of importance (1=

most important / 5= less)
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5. Select one of your Rights. Describe a way it must be
limited to work with other people.
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Task 2: Responsibilities
Scenario 1: Closure of a local hospital

A local hospital is being planned for closure. If the hospital is

closed then it will take ambulances over 45 minutes to get to
Accidents and Emergencies risking peoples lives in an
emergency. But what could you do to stop this from happening.
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Scenario 2: Human Rights Abuses

In Guantanamo Bay, people are being put in prison without

being put on trial. Some of them have not been charged with a
crime, but are being questioned and held for over 2 years.
Some people have been released after being cleared of having
done anything wrong. Lots of people have condemned this,
saying it is an abuse of human rights, but what would you do to
stop this?
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Scenario 4: Environmental Issues

There is a big business which is dumping toxic waste in a

nearby river. This is having a terrible effect on the local
wildlife, and could pose a real danger to the people living in the
local area. The business is incredibly successful and the
government has repeatedly failed to do anything about them.
How do you convince the government to act? And if the
government doesnt help who could you go to?
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Task 3: How did we get Human Rights?

1. Name two laws that relate to Human Rights?
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2. Name the horrible world event that led to Human Rights

being important
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3. Name two rights denied to people during the Holocaust.
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4. Name one court that deals with Human Rights issues
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Your Rights

At what age does a young person first gain the rights listed
below: tick the correct box
Age

Becoming criminally
responsible

Can drive a car

Can get a part time

job

Can get married

10

13

16

17

Task 4: Employment Rights

Source A
Tom, Mary and Asif all went to the same school. Asif is of
Asian descent and Tom and Mary are white.

They all left

school at 16 with broadly similar qualifications.

Two years

later they have the same job titles and work the same hours.
Mary is paid 5.00 an hour. Tom gets 6.00 an hour and Asif
gets only 3.00 an hour. He has a speech disability but his
manager admits that his work is as good as that of other
workers.
They receive a leaflet from the Trade Union. From this they
find out about contracts of employment; discipline codes,
involving final warnings prior to dismissal; and laws such as the
Sex Discrimination Act, the Race Relations Act, the Minimum
Wage Act and the Disability Discrimination Act.
The three are surprised to discover that their pay rates are
different when they chat about the leaflet. Mary and Asif
complain to their managers. Although they have never been
accused of any misconduct (breaking the rules at work), both
are immediately dismissed.

1.

Suggest two ways in which Marys legal rights have been

broken.

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2. Suggest two other ways in which Asifs legal rights have
been broken.
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3. Use Source A and your own knowledge. The laws in the
UK make sure workers are treated equally. Identify and
explain two reasons why this claim might be true.
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Task 8: Religion and Rights

Religious attitudes to Human Rights

The Christian view...

Christianity teaches that we are all made in the image of

God; therefore all people are equal before God.
Love your neighbour as yourself
(Galatians 3:28)

The Sanctity of Life is a Christian teaching which says

that because we were all created equal before God all life
should be respected, nobody is more important than
anyone else and we should live according to this rule.
So there is neither Jew nor Greek,
slave nor free,
male nor female, for you are all one in
Christ.

Jesus taught that all people are equal and should be

treated the same and lived his life encouraging others to
do the same.

He (god) sent me to bring good news

to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and to set free
the oppressed. (Luke 4:18-19)

The Islamic (Muslim) view...

Islam teaches that all people are creations of Allah;

therefore there are basic rights that should be shared
by the whole of humanity.
Human rights are God given and therefore should be
followed, it is the will of Allah (God).
Muslims are taught they should protect human rights
because their existence stops tyranny, fighting and
rioting. So while people should follow authority, the
people who are in a position of authority, have the
responsibility to ensure people receive their basic human
rights.
"As you are, so you will have rulers over you (Hadith)

All life is created by Allah and therefore is sacred and

should be protected.
Justice should be administered fairly and equally.

 Human Rights denied. Copy the problem /

situation and say how one religion would
respond.
1. Domestic abuse. A woman is beaten by her
husband, he controls what she does and
says that she should do what he tells her because he is
better and knows what is best.
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2. There is a growing population of asylum seekers in a

local community. They are subject to racist comments and
abuse from other members of the community.
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3. In 58 countries around the world the death

penalty is used as a form of
punishment for crimes such as murder,
treason, rape, aggravated robbery and drug
trafficking.

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4. Summarise both of the religious opinions on human rights.

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