The 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on 23 September 2013 saw the launch of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon ́s Special Report: A life of dignity for all: accelerating progress towards the Millennium Development Goals and advancing the United Nations development agenda beyond 2015. In this context, a broad group of civil society networks and organisations, including the Right to Education Project, have come together to highlight the compelling case for ensuring that the fulfilment of human rights is at the heart of the post-2015 development agenda, and that the education narrative, as well as goals and core indicators, is grounded in a human rights perspective. The organisations and networks presenting this statement reaffirm that the following principles express an understanding of education as a fundamental human right.
- Every human being is entitled to the right to education.
- States are duty-bearers and must respect, protect and fulfill human rights, including the right to education.
- The right to education begins at birth and is lifelong.
- Adult education and literacy in a lifelong learning framework are an integral part of the right to education.
- A broad approach to quality education is needed.
- Equality and non-discrimination are core elements of the right to education.
- Teachers are at the center of quality education.
- The State must provide sufficient financing for public education.
- There must be democratic governance in education.
- Human rights are integral, indivisible and interdependent.
When governments met at the United Nationsin January 2014 to debate aspects of the sustainable development agenda to replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2015, over 300 civil society organizations from all parts of the world - including the Right to Educatin Project - have come together to demand human rights be integrated into every aspect of the new framework.
Published on International Human Rights Day, the joint statement "Human Rights for All Post-2015" was presented to the Open Working Group (OWG) on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at its 6th session. It sets out 10 practical, baseline implications of embedding existing human rights standards into the core of the sustainable development agenda.
Education is a vital element in efforts to stop the spread of HIV and AIDS. Sexual assault against girls in and around schools carries the danger of HIV infection. The threat of violence reduces the ability of girls to protect themselves from infection. In this information sheet in Amnesty International calls on governments and schools to take steps such as the prohibition of all forms of violence against girls; provision of appropriate treatment and HIV/AIDS information; and implementation of policies to include girls living with HIV, for example, in schools.
Certain girls face an increased risk of violence at school because of who they are. Lesbian girls, for example, experience both sexism and homophobia combined. Girls with disabilities face both sexism and disability discrimination. In this information sheet Amnesty International calls on governments and schools to train school staff in early intervention strategies and to develop and implement a code of conduct for all students that explicitly prohibits sexual violence and sexual harassment in the educational context
Education is held up as the key strategy to empower girls and break the cycles of poverty, to propel social and economic development in poor countries, and to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. Many girls from poor families have little or no access to even a primary education, because the costs are beyond their families' means. In this information sheet Amnesty International calls o governments to eliminate direct and indirect fees for primary schools and take steps to make secondary schools accessible to all.
All over the world girls face violence as they pursue their education. Some suffer long-term harm to their mental and physical health. Their human rights are violated. In this information sheet Amnesty International calls on government officials and bodies, including schools, in collaboration with all relevant parties to take six steps to stop school-related violence. These include making schools safe for girls, protection of girls from abuse and the removal of barriers to girls' access to school.
All over the world girls face violence as they pursue their education. Some suffer long-term harm to their mental and physical health. Their human rights are violated. In this information sheet Amnesty International calls on government officials and bodies, including schools, in collaboration with all relevant parties to take six steps to stop school-related violence. These include making schools safe for girls, protection of girls from abuse and the removal of barriers to girls' access to school.
Since the beginnings of 2012, at least 70 teachers and over 100 students have been killed or wounded in northern Nigeria. Educational facilities have been burned, thousands of children forced out of schools and teachers made to flee for safety. The purpose of this briefing is to draw attention to the damaging effects of this on-going violence. It calls on the Islamist armed group Boko Haram and other gunmen to immediately cease all attacks on schools; and on the Nigerian authorities to provide better protection for schools and ensure that attacks are properly investigated.
This case study focuses on two factors that affect displaced children’s ability to exercise their right to education: poverty and discrimination.
This communication has been submitted to the United Nation Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education to inform him about the privatisation and the right to education in Chile.