More than 20 years ago the UK Human Rights Act was set out as a measure to protect the rights of citizens across the globe and provide a framework for freedom from injustice. It has historically been a legal document written up to protect the basic rights of UK citizens, its content in line with the rest of the EU and much of the world.

As a charity that works with a range of children and young people going through adverse experiences, from migrants and refugees to pupils excluded from schools, human rights have always been a crucial factor in our work. In 2021 the government proposed a plan to review the UK Human Rights Act, specifically looking at altering how these rights can be enforced. Controversy and criticisms around the review are racking up, with some legal professionals going so far as to say that they may result in diluting the act or even in breaching international standards. In the same month, the government also announced a new Borders Bill that is likely to threaten the rights of refugees and migrants seeking safety in the UK and provide legitimacy for making citizens stateless. As these changes come into effect it becomes even more imperative that people are aware of their rights and feel able to stand up for them.

In 2021, it became apparent to us through our workshops with children and young people, particularly in pupil referral units, that rights were not something widely understood by our participants. Whilst we were able to deliver sessions around human rights and ensure that those children and young people that we were in contact with understood the importance of standing up for their rights, we knew immediately that this was likely to be a wider issue that must be confronted.

Having previously created free resources to educate children and young people around complex issues such as migration, adverse childhood experiences and mental health we felt that to do justice to the subject of human rights we needed to develop a new resource that included a range of activities and animations on the subject. We wanted it to explain nuances and misconceptions about human rights in a way that could be easily understood, openly interpreted, and widely shared.

Working with graphic designer Kathryn Corlett, animator Robin Lane-Roberts and facilitator Marie Horner we created a dual resource comprised of an activity pack for young participants and a supervisory adult pack to aid their understanding and ability to support too. The activity pack consists of exercises designed to encourage reflection and conversation about human rights whilst informing participants of the essential role that rights play in all our lives.

The resources are available free to download from our website. Having used these packs in sessions at a Pupil Referral Unit, we have witnessed firsthand how it can aid young people in feeling empowered; something that is vital regardless of a child or young person’s circumstances and vital for them to navigate their way through complex and evolving times.

Rights in Focus