Unit 3 Freedom and Equality

3.1. Introduction to RCHK Student Rights

3.2. Human Rights

What Are Human Rights?

Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination.

Source: https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/human-rights/

3.3. Peer-Assessed HR Video

3.4. Racism

What is racism?

Racism takes many forms and can happen in many places. It includes prejudice, discrimination or hatred directed at someone because of their colour, ethnicity or national origin.

People often associate racism with acts of abuse or harassment. However, it doesn’t need to involve violent or intimidating behaviour. Take racial name-calling and jokes. Or consider situations when people may be excluded from groups or activities because of where they come from.

Racism can be revealed through people’s actions as well as their attitudes. It can also be reflected in systems and institutions. But sometimes it may not be revealed at all. Not all racism is obvious. For example, someone may look through a list of job applicants and decide not to interview people with certain surnames.

Racism is more than just words, beliefs and actions. It includes all the barriers that prevent people from enjoying dignity and equality because of their race.

Source: https://itstopswithme.humanrights.gov.au/about-racism

3.5. Women's Rights

What are women's rights?

Women’s rights are the fundamental human rights that were enshrined by the United Nations for every human being on the planet nearly 70 years ago. These rights include the right to live free from violence, slavery, and discrimination; to be educated; to own property; to vote; and to earn a fair and equal wage.

As the now-famous saying goes, “women’s rights are human rights.” That is to say, women are entitled to all of these rights. Yet almost everywhere around the world, women and girls are still denied them, often simply because of their gender.

Winning rights for women is about more than giving opportunities to any individual woman or girl; it is also about changing how countries and communities work. It involves changing laws and policies, winning hearts and minds, and investing in strong women’s organisations and movements.

Source: https://www.globalfundforwomen.org/womens-human-rights/

3.6. Gender Revolution LGBTQ

Gay rights movement, also called homosexual rights movement or gay liberation movement, civil rights movement that advocates equal rights for gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and transsexuals; seeks to eliminate sodomy laws barring homosexual acts between consenting adults; and calls for an end to discrimination against gay men and lesbians in employment, credit lending, housing, public accommodations, and other areas of life.

Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/gay-rights-movement

3.7. Animal Rights

The Animal Rights National Conference is dedicated to the vision that animals have the right to be free from all forms of human exploitation.

Animal rights can be viewed in two ways. The first is animal rights as a social movement to protect animals—even intervene and liberate them—from exploitation and abuse. The second is the idea that nonhuman animals, like human animals, have the right to be treated with respect as individuals with inherent value. Every animal is someone, not something, and they have the right to live free from humans inflicting pain and suffering on them. To deny this is to be engaging in speciesism, which is the idea that humans have been imbued with a set of exceptional attributes (such as speech, self-awareness, cognitive abilities, and a soul) that are unique to our species and thus give us moral priority over others. The animal rights philosophy does not place nonhuman animals above humans, but gives them equal consideration. This equal consideration means we should grant nonhuman animals the right to not be treated as objects—the same right we grant humans, at least in principle.

Source: https://arconference.org/what-is-animal-rights

3.8. Summative Assessment - activist speech