The case for human rights education for municipal workers
This article was written by Dina Zbeidy, Researcher at Leiden University of Applied Sciences
Introduction
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Human rights education (HRE) is an important tool for building a culture of human rights that promotes justice, common responsibility, respect for human rights and the prevention of human rights abuses (OHCHR).
Since municipalities and their employees often play a crucial role in connecting citizens to local government, and act as gatekeepers to citizens’ access to their rights, it is imperative that these professionals have a strong foundational knowledge on human rights and have the necessary skills to act in case they witness violations of basic human rights.
The Human Rights Movement
The development of an international human rights movement started with the culmination of the Second World War and the genocide committed against European Jews and other communities. While there have been anti-colonial struggles, liberation movements, and demands for equality and freedom all over the world beforehand, it was not until 1948 that the Universal Declaration for Human Rights was drafted.
Since the 1990’s the UN has been paying extra attention to human rights education (HRE). Initiatives aim to enlist governments’ support to incorporate HRE in formal schooling, higher education and in professional training for various groups (such as police workers and lawyers). There has also been a human rights movement at grassroots level that takes the form of community education to mobilize people and expand social movements.
What is Human Rights Education?
The Council of Europe has been active in promoting HRE among its member states. The Council of Europe Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education (2010) defines HRE as:
Education, training, awareness raising, information, practices and activities which aim, by equipping learners with knowledge, skills and understanding and developing their attitudes and behaviour, to empower learners to contribute to the building and defence of a universal culture of human rights in society, with a view to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms” (bold in original, Council of Europe).
One HRE approach is to teach both about and for human rights. Learning about human rights includes knowledge about the history of human rights, the various human rights documents, conventions, instruments and institutions. Learning for human rights proceeds further towards empowering participants to participate in transforming their societies in accordance with human rights through learning social competences, such as lobbying and advocacy, emphasizing respect, responsibility and solidarity. Many scholars argue that teaching about human rights is insufficient when it is not accompanied by learning for human rights.
As such, the desired outcome of providing HRE for professionals such as municipal workers, is to focus on workers’ accountability and professional responsibility in either monitoring human rights violations or protecting people’s (access to) rights.
HRE for Municipalities
Local actors such as municipalities are increasingly playing a role in upholding and realizing international human rights law. The main signatories of the Universal Declaration for Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights are states. Nevertheless, local authorities, organizations and businesses alike are expected to abide by them (if not actively promote them).
In the last three decades an increasing number of municipalities took that role seriously, becoming “human rights cities.” Among them are Vienna (Austria), Turin (Italy), Utrecht (Netherlands), Valencia (Spain), Lund (Sweden), Rosario (Argentina), Porto Alegre (Brazil), Jakarta (Indonesia), Seoul (South Korea), and Washington D.C. (United States).
At times these municipalities take the lead in upholding human rights when national governments seem to act short on them. Examples are municipalities that provide shelter for undocumented migrants or municipalities that ratify international conventions that their governments have not.
Localising Human Rights
The work of municipalities relies heavily on municipal workers who interact daily with citizens and pick up signals around important policies and issues. They are among the first to know which human rights in the city are under pressure.
Through strong HRE programs, municipal workers can gain more knowledge on what human rights entail, which obligations their municipality and national government have, and what their own (professional and personal) responsibility in upholding human rights is. Accompanied by learning the skills necessary to promote human rights and addressing human rights violations, each and every municipal worker can contribute to strengthening a culture of human rights in the city in which everyone is included.
Literature
This article is largely based on the following research report:
Zbeidy, D. (2024). What, Why, and How? Human Rights Education in Applied
Legal Programs: Research Report and Results. Leiden University or Applied Sciences
(in Dutch, titled: Wat, Waarom en Hoe? Mensenrechtenonderwijs bij Praktijkgerichte Juridische Opleidingen).
Further suggested readings:
- Bajaj, M. (2011). Human rights education: Ideology, location, and approaches. Human Rights Quarterly, 481-508.
- Immler, N. L., & Sakkers, H. (2022). The UN-Sustainable Development Goals going local: learning from localising human rights. The International Journal of Human Rights, 26(2), 262-284.
- Mutua, M. (2001). Savages, victims, and saviors: The metaphor of human rights. Harv. Int’l LJ, 42, 201.
- Okafor, O. C., & Agbakwa, S. C. (2001). Re-imagining international human rights education in our time: Beyond three constitutive orthodoxies. Leiden Journal of International Law, 14(3), 563-590.
- Oomen, B., & Baumgärtel, M. (2018). Frontier cities: The rise of local authorities as an opportunity for international human rights law. European Journal of International Law, 29(2), 607-630.
- Osler, A. (2015). Human rights education, postcolonial scholarship, and action for social justice. Theory & Research in Social Education, 43(2), 244-274.
- Tibbitts, F., & Fernekes, W. R. (2011). Human rights education. Teaching and studying social issues: Major programs and approaches, 87-118.
- Zembylas, M., & Keet, A. (2019). Critical human rights education: Advancing social-justice-oriented educational praxes (Vol. 13). Springer Nature.
Photo credit: Markus Spiske, EVERY HUMAN HAS RIGHTS street art sticker. Nürnberg, Germany (2021). Image available under the Unsplash License.
