UNESCO and others Host Youth for Human Rights Awareness “Training for Trainers” Workshop
(ZIZ News) – The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO], the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis and Youth for Human Rights International jointly hosted a day-long Training for Trainers Workshop on human rights.
Held at the Bird Rock Beach Hotel on Tuesday, the workshop featured a number of sessions. The sessions focused on introducing participants to human rights campaign, an explanation of materials for the human rights campaign, the constitution and legislation of St. Kitts and Nevis and a session on freedom of expression as it relates to victimization in the workplace.
The presentations were preceded by an opening ceremony which heard remarks from President of Youth for Human Rights International Mary Shuttleworth, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education Ionie Liburd-Willett, Head Coordinator for the Youth Department Pierre Liburd and UNESCO’s Secretary General Antonio Maynard.
Maynard said many persons do not know their human rights and therefore abuse other people’s human rights because of that lack of knowledge. He shared the view that teaching human rights in schools will help fill the information gap.
“We are hoping that coming out of this workshop, the teachers and the youth leaders who are here present today will be able to go back to their classrooms and impart this very important information and knowledge to them in a dynamic and captivating and effective manner. This project however, is a truly promising and effective way to bring about awareness of the 30 fundamental human rights that was passed by the United Nations 50 years ago,” he explained.
Meantime, Shuttleworth, who was raised in South Africa, said her decision to start the Youth for Human Rights International campaign was nurtured by her childhood.
She said, “As a young girl as I grew up and I realised that it’s against the law for me to not discriminate and that discrimination was the law, that is the root, that is the basic of where I started with this campaign and for me, if all the work I do in my lifetime can just help us reduce discrimination just a little bit, but everywhere in the world, my life would have been well lived.”
Permanent Secretary Willett commended all organisations and individuals involved. She said the government is pleased to be associated as it is important that residents are aware of their human rights.