WHAT WE SHOULD BE THANKFUL FOR

HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

Get out Notebook Paper

Free Write

• What is bugging you?

• What makes your life hard?

• What do you wish you really had?

• What is one thing in your life you wish you could change?

• Turn to a neighbor and come up with 3 rights that every person in the world should be entitled to, no matter who you are or where you live. Write down your list on your paper.

What is the United Nations?• The purpose of the United Nations is to bring all nations of the

world together to work for peace and development, based on the principles of justice, human dignity and the well-being of all people. It affords the opportunity for countries to balance global interdependence and national interests when addressing international problems.

• There are currently 192 Members of the United Nations. They meet in the General Assembly, which is the closest thing to a world parliament. Each country, large or small, rich or poor, has a single vote, however, none of the decisions taken by the Assembly are binding. Nevertheless, the Assembly's decisions become resolutions that carry the weight of world governmental opinion.

• The United Nations Headquarters is in New York City but the land and buildings are international territory. The United Nations has its own flag, its own post office and its own postage stamps. Six official languages are used at the United Nations - Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish

UN DECLARATION OF RIGHTS

• The United Nations is a group of countries formed together to ensure peace and equality for its citizens.

• Countries joined include but are not limited to: http://www.un.org/en/members/

• It’s surprising considering what is going on in these countries!!!

1. The Chinese government punishes a couple for having a second child with a large fine-- many are

also denied bonuses at their workplace. The policy results in forced abortion and infanticide.

2. Shiite men in Afghanistan now have the legal right (as of March 2009) to

starve their wives if their marital demands are not met.

3. Afghanistan: Under the Taliban school was denied for girls. Some schools where girls tried to attend anyway were burned to

the ground.

4. North Korean Concentration Camps: people (and sometimes entire families) are arrested and imprisoned

without knowing why. They do not get a trial. They are not told how long their sentence will be. They are tortured,

starved and often executed (an estimated 400,000+ have died)

5. Burma’s government uses rape as a weapon (girls as young as 12!) to punish people who they

suspect of supporting anti-government groups (and to subdue ethnic minorities)

6. Pakistan: “The Blasphemy Law,” allows life imprisonment or the death penalty for refusal to follow

Islamic principles (the official religion of Pakistan). Christians who live in Pakistan are often terrorized or killed

with no justice for the families of the victims.

7. Afghanistan: After being beaten by him for decades, a woman murders her husband in self-defense. She is

brought before a stadium full of people to be shot in the head. She left behind 7 children.

8. Caning in schools in Singapore, Malaysia and Zimbabwe allowed-

especially for boys!

9. Afghanistan under the Taliban: The punishment for being homosexual is

death (also for cross-dressing)

10. Human Lab Experiments in North Korea: concentration camp inmates are use as human guinea pigs for testing of

biological and chemical agents.

11. Gum chewing is illegal in Singapore

12. Girls in Burma are legally sold into prostitution to repay a family’s

debt.

13. Afghanistan: Under the Taliban, women weren’t allowed to wear make-up or nail

polish. They were required to be covered

from head to toe.

14. A 37-year-old man in Russia accuses the government of corruption. He’s arrested on false charges of tax

evasion and sent to prison. He dies in prison of a disease that could have been treated if the government had allowed

him medical care while in prison.

15. Saudi Arabia: if you steal something your hand is cut off

16. Police in Brazil do not have to respond to calls from poor areas

called “Shanty towns”

17. Child Soldiers in Africa- Boys and girls recruited by force. Boys fight; girls are often forced to satisfy the sexual needs of the soldiers in the camp. During their training, they often have to kill friends or members of their own families in

order to "harden up." This often happens under the influence of drugs and alcohol given by the perpetrators. Children have to struggle for the rest of their

life to come to terms with the effects of physical and psychological acts of cruelty

18. Pakistan: Journalists are arrested (and possibly executed) and newspapers are closed if the government

perceives any article to be even mildly critical of the government (Also in Iran, N. Korea, Turkmenistan and others…)

Using your packet

1. Select any 5 of these human rights violations to investigate further.

2. On the chart write down the violation and then refer to both the UN Dec of Rights and our Bill of Rights to see what is violated.

Now, How do you feel? Still having a bad day? Hmmmm??