Freedom from Descrimination

2.

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

PLAIN LANGUAGE VERSION:
Everyone can claim the following rights, despite a different sex, a different skin colour, speaking a different language, thinking different things, believing in another religion, owning more or less, being born in another social group, or coming from another country. It also makes no difference whether the country you live in is independent or not.

Illustrated version

NOTES:
Human beings come from all different places, in all different shapes, colors, sizes, and flavors. But we are still human and so we all have the same basic human rights.

DEFINITIONS:
discrimination is any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, sex, language, religion, opinion, descent, or national or ethnic origin which discourages or prevents equal recognition, enjoyment or exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life.

MORE:
The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimintaion, 1969
The United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women

Ask students to complete the following sentences:

I am... (write your name and add your individual, personal qualities)
I am... (write your nationality or ethnic identity and add the characteristics that you think are particular to that group)
I am a human being... (write down those things that make you a part of the human family, those things you have in common with all people)

Now ask students to read out and discuss each of their particular statements without comparing them. Start with the answers to i. and end with iii. The discussion will probably focus on the accuracy of the qualities they have described for each segment. After a while, stop the discussion and ask the class to compare the answers they have given to ii. Is there agreement among those who might have the same nationality or ethnicity? Are there differences or similarities between answers given by people of different nationality or ethnicity? What kind of qualities and characteristics are mentioned? Now ask the class to compare their answers to iii. The questions are the same: What kind of qualities and characteristics are mentioned? How much agreement is there among students? What are the differences between the answers given to ii. and to iii.?

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