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back to contents It's About Time - Launch Liz Broderick (Blake Dawson Waldron), Wendy Harmer, the Hon. John von Doussa QC Charles 'Bud' Tingwell AM, Wendy Harmer, the Hon. John von Doussa QC , Liz Broderick (Blake Dawson Waldron) the Hon. John von Doussa QC, President HREOC Wendy Harmer Charles 'Bud' Tingwell AM People at the launch 29 January, 2008 .

It was a landmark for Australia - the first federal law to say that all people have the right to be treated fairly, regardless of their background, culture or colour.

Explore a range of downloadable activities and resources in relation to Human Rights Day, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

December 10 is the anniversary of the adoption by the United Nations (UN) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR sets out a certain set of rights that are the basic and minimum set of human rights for all citizens.

Before the start of the war there were a number of countries, particularly Germany and Japan, which were dictatorships – countries in which the people had no say over the government. Those governments were both expansionist – that is, they wanted to expand their own territories by taking over other countries by force – and they were both ruthless in their treatment of those who…

Discover an activity that explores human rights violations during war while also highlighting the importance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Some of these principles relate to civil and political rights which defend the fundamental right to life, and states that no one can be tortured, enslaved, arbitrarily imprisoned, made to do forced labour, or be restricted from such basic freedoms as movement, expression and association. Such principles are stated in negative terms such as ‘freedom from’ (discrimination, torture etc).

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) is considered a useful starting point for research in international human rights law. Many other treaties and conventions have been agreed to since then. There have also been many human rights issues raised around the world.

Every year on December 10, we commemorate the anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. During 2009, the Australian Government conducted a series of human rights consultations on human rights in Australia.

To help your school celebrate International Human Rights Day, here are some suggestions that you could consider taking to the person or group responsible for planning the occasion – or you could volunteer to be part of the group and help:

Explore a range of publications and resources by the Human Rights Commission that outlines human rights in relation to the rights of children.

All people – no matter their age, sex, colour, religion or where they live – have the same basic needs to live a healthy life. These needs include food, shelter, education, healthcare and freedom from persecution and discrimination.

Provide students with picture cards from the Resource sheet: Human rights images. Ask students to brainstorm which human rights could be associated with the pictures (eg. right to vote, right to education). Make a list of rights on the whiteboard (they may think of others).

The following images are a visual representation of various human rights. Some images may be associated with more than one right. Key rights that may be associated with images are equality, right to vote, nationality, identity, freedom from persecution, labour rights, freedom of speech, leisure, participation, education, shelter.

Write down next to each statement the people that are responsible for protecting each of the rights. For example: is it you, your parents, your teacher, the police or perhaps the government?

Note that the Activity sheet: Rights and wants provides an introduction to this activity. Provide students with a copy of the (child friendly version) Convention on the Rights of the Child (available at: http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/humanrights/resources/plainchild.asp). Depending on knowledge levels, some discussion or overview may be required.

The aim of this activity is to introduce students to the issues that faced children who were kept in Australian Immigration Detention Centres prior to the policy change in 2005.

Read through the following quotes. These are things that asylum seeker children told the Australian Human Rights Commission about their time in Australian immigration detention centres.

Access an activity that provides examples of when the rights of children have been denied and what action would be appropriate in order to protect them.

back to Voices of Australia Voices of Australia Activities / resources downloads Download complete resource in PDF or Word Introduction PDF or Word 1. Discussion game Activity sheet: Find someone who …. PDF or Word 2. Role play and discussion Resource sheet: Character profiles .... PDF or Word Activity sheet: Find a character who PDF or Word 3. Map and timeline work Resource sheet: World map…