The Dissemination of HumanRights Education

. The Dissemination of HumanRights Education

• A mobile theater was launched in the govern orate of Arbil, in December 2005 and continued until the end of February 2006, with a  theatrical presentation that deals with human rights (women’s rights, freedom and equality with men, children’s rights and education, bad interaction habits between members of society and how to address them). The presentation was preformed in 15 locations in residential areas, parks and villages; it was attended by(2350) viewers of different age groups.

• With the beginning of the school year in 2006, the Association organized five seminars in two high schools in Baghdad,on “The Protection of Children from Abuse and The Impact of Trauma and Tension”. The seminars covered the concepts and the factors causing physical and psychological abuse, trauma and stress, and the social and emotional problems it causes in children. 161 (male and female) students participated in the seminars. Papers of the subjects mentioned were distribute don them, and they carried out a number of exercises and tests.

• Under the motto (Human Rights is Everyone’s Responsibility), IAA finished a program for promoting human rights education in schools in Najaf and Diwaniya,which lasted for two consecutive months, starting from 1 April, 2007, to include 21 primary, high and vocational schools, in the centers of the two govern orates and beyond, aimed at training 41 people from the teaching staff in these schools about the concepts of human rights. The trainees then trained 1200 students, to deliver the information and concepts to them, in line with their levels of education and their local environment, using the practical aspect of training, such as role-playing, interviews and debates. And the students in turn, provided a variety of activities to reflect the extent of their understanding of the material, and their views on human rights criteria,through the performing  of sketches,poems, short stories and drawings, and designing posters in their schools,reflecting the concepts of non-violence, justice, equality, diversity,responsibility, the language of dialogue , situations of rights’ conflict and dispute, and how to get human rights out of the classroom and school to home.

• The project worked closely with official bodies in the two provinces, such as the Office of the Ministry of Human Rights and the Directorate of Education as well as the media. Also, everyone agreed on the need to expand such programs and circulate them on schools, to include teaching staff and students, as well a sits inclusion in school curriculum, due to its value to the direct advancement of education and educational methods for the construction of a new progressive generation.

• In the govern orate of Salahadeen, the Association, took the initiative in the months of October and November of 2007, to promote principles of human rights and conflict resolution in 18 schools and Institutes, to students of various stages, at the center of the city of Tikrit, and in the villages of Ocha  and Albu Ajil , where first the training of 34 teachers from these schools took place , and then school lessons were organized, incorporated with some exercises drawn from the violations of human rights in everyday life, starting with children, women and human beings in general. These activities were implemented under the direct supervision of the Association and the Directorate of Education in the province. The program included (5826) students.

• At the end of the program, an artistic and cultural celebration was organized in Tikrit,on the occasion of the International Day of Human Rights, which was attended by the Deputy Governor and a number of officials, where awards were presented to a few students who excelled in the activity.

• In July 7, 2008, under the motto “A Bright Future for Children” a Carnival for children was organized in Kirkuk,in cooperation with the “Buds of Children’s Rights” organisation, on the advent of summer holidays, in which a set of articles of the international treaty of Children’s Rights were introduced.

• Over a period of four months, from April until August of 2007, the project of peace-building through training on conflict resolution and democracy, in partnership with The Women of Baghdad Association, during which (25) work shops were organized in Baghdad, Karbala and Kirkuk, aiming to build a civil dialogue  and a culture of non-violence among the youth and women, and to educate them on the principles of human rights, conflict resolution , gender , issues of personal status, the Constitution and the Convention on the elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).It was attended by approximately (635) beneficiaries (male and female) of different age groups, who are employees in governmental institutions, as well as in universities and colleges, youth centers and the municipal councils and NGOs.(15)  Trainers (male and female),specialized in the field of human rights law and conflict resolution and media,contributed to the training. This project contributed to the consolidation of relations between NGOs and ministries through the establishment of training courses for their staffs, as well as the dissemination of civic education on a large scale.