Human rights children's book from National Geographic
National Geographic has joined the Every Human Has Rights campaign by released a new childrens book to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The book, titled Every Human Has Rights, uses images and accessible text to help children learn their human rights.
"Every Human Has Rights offers kids an accessibly written list of these rights, commentary—much of it deeply emotional—by other kids, and richly evocative photography illustrating each right. At the end of this deceptively simple book, kids will know—and feel—that regardless of individual differences and circumstances, each person is valuable and worthy of respect." - National Geographic.
Excerpts from the forward written by Mary Robinson
Sixty years ago, in the aftermath of World War II, the Holocaust and the use of nuclear weapons, nations came together to forge a common understanding of the fundamental freedoms which were owed to all. The result was the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Declaration spells out what human freedom is all about by proclaiming rights to freedom of opinion, expression, and belief and the right to a democratic government with fair laws that protect us all. But just as firmly and with equal emphasis, it proclaims the economic, social, and cultural rights—to food, to safe water, to health, to education, to shelter – to which we are all entitled. It also makes clear that all of these rights are to be enjoyed by all people without distinction of any kind.
The Universal Declaration ranks as one of the greatest documents of human history. I have spent much of my life working with others to ensure that governments live up to these commitments. In our rapidly globalizing world, it is especially important to make it clear to corporations, civil society organizations, and individuals that we all have responsibilities for making human rights a reality.
I wish I could say that we were on the verge of success, that the human rights celebrated in this book are protected for all people. But I can’t. We still have widespread discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnicity, religious belief, or sexual orientation. Tragically, genocide—one group of people killing another because they are different- is happening again.
Poverty is continuing to trap millions of our fellow sisters and brothers in lives of despair. There are people dying for lack of water, food or proper health care and people being killed for practicing (or not practicing) a religion, or saying what they think about their government.
So what can we do? What role can each of us play in achieving true human freedom for all?
Change comes about through education. The photographs and contributions by young people in these pages provide important lessons which can help you can gain not just knowledge but emotional understanding of the rights that we all must defend.
Yet change doesn’t come about just through knowledge – it also requires action. To mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration, a diverse group of organizations have come together around the Every Human Has Rights Campaign.
Go to the website EveryHumanHasRights.org to get involved. You can start by making your own pledge to live by the principles of the Universal Declaration. By doing so, you will be adding your voice to a growing global movement of people demanding that realizing the rights affirmed more than half a century ago becomes the priority for the 21st century.
Reprinted with permission from the book Every Human Has Rights. Copyright - 2009 National Geographic Society
forward copyright - 2009 Mary Robinson. All Rights Reserved
