Human Rights Violations
Introducing Human Rights
The Trump administration denounced abuses in Venezuela, China and Iran, but if you care about human rights only in countries you don’t like, you don’t actually care about human rights
Nicholas Kristof, February 27, 2021
Readings For This Lesson
Use the search function on Amnesty International as a starting point for selecting a Human Rights Violation to research
Check out our shared document on Human Rights Violations - feel free to add to it, it is editable.
Objectives
This lesson will address the following prescribed content from the IB's Global Politics Guide:
Claims of Human Rights (Labour rights, indigenous land claims, movements for gender equality, debates about same-sex marriage)
Violations of human rights
Activating Your Thinking
Guiding Prompt:
As you watch this video reflect on the following:
What is the story?
What is the human story?
What is the world story?
What is the new story?
What is the untold story?
Guided Reflection:
After watching these two video clips articulate briefly:
Two things that surprised you.
How the videos made you feel/what were you thinking about as you learned about these stories?
Before we start this lesson, complete this survey
Lesson Content
Global Politics in Action
This article offers two perspectives on this issue. One is related to the treatment of the Uyghurs, the other is the poor response from the rest of the world.
Outline both perspectives on the issue.
Pull out the Global Politics concepts developed in the article.
What are the suggestions the author offers as ways in which the world can respond to human rights violations?
Modern Day Slavery, Child Labour and Sweatshop Labour
Group Activity:
In groups of six, each member of the group will research one of the forms of slavery and present their findings to the other members of their group.
Guiding Questions:
While watching the video, record as many facts regarding modern day slavery as you can.
What approaches to prevention have been put in place?
What challenges remain to preventing human trafficking?
Guiding Questions:
__________________ of all victims of modern slavery are in _____________ bondage. ___________ and _____________ make up 71 percent of all victims. 1 in ___________ victims of modern slavery is a child.
Watch the first video. What are some of the areas/industries where we see modern day slavery?
What are the three characteristics of industries that are prone to use slave labour?
Review the map infographic. Where is the majority of modern-day slavery occurring today?
Describe each of the issues that drive the slave trade. Provide an example of each (this question will take some time to answer, you may wish to put it into a chart).
What is the motive the drives traffickers in the slave trade?
Which industries are most effected by the slave trade?
How might the modern slave trade be abolished? In what ways might each of these approaches be successful?
Guiding Questions:
In order to eradicate child labour in the production of chocolate, what steps need to be taken?
The article suggests a number of reasons as to why companies have not eradicated child labour in the cocoa industry. List at least three.
What concerns might we have with farmers paying the "gran patron"?
Why are farmers hiring child labourers?
Why are the families of child labourers sending their children to work on cocoa farms? There are several reasons offered.
What are some of the hardships that child labourers face?
What are some of the challenges with simply purchasing cocoa that is fair trade certified?
If fair trade isn't the solution, according the article, what is? What is the root cause of slavery?
When Paul Schoenmakers says, "nobody needs chocolate", what point is he trying to make to consumers?
While this is a little dated, the causes and resolutions to slavery haven't changed.
What does Kevin Bales explain are the causes of slavery?
What are some of the resolutions to slavery that he discusses?
This TED Talk is a little more up-to-date but also somewhat UK focussed.
Slavery & Human Trafficking.pdfComplete the following critical thinking exercise called Other People's Views (OPV):
List all of the different parties that would have a perspective on the conditions that maids in Lebanon are facing.
Based on what you have read in the article how would each view their plight and, in particular, the public shaming campaign.
Note: the first page of the PDF is another story related to slave labour not connected to the OPV exercise.
Instructions: Read the following three articles on recent stories of child labour then, in groups, compile a response to these two prompts:
What information would you want to publicize from these three articles in order to encourage people to consider the implications of the purchases they make? What additional information or ideas would you want to include?
What do you think would be the most effective way to go about drawing people's attention to the issue of child labour?
Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking.pdfILO Indicators of Forced Labour.pdfFactory Conditions
The True Cost
The True Cost.mp4Made in Bangladesh
Toxic Tanneries
Viewing Guide
During the viewing of these three documentaries describe the impact of the fashion industry and/or what needs to be done to improve conditions from the following four perspectives:
Factory workers
The Environment
Factory owners & non-fair trade clothing companies
Fair trade clothing companies and labour fairness advocates
What specific human rights violations may be connected to this story? In addition to the UNDHR, reference specific sections of any relevant treaties including the Palermo Protocol and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
You may also find this documentary interesting for the primary footage contained within it or this segment from Last Week Tonight. There is also this documentary that looks at both conditions and efforts to fight for a living wage, including union busting.
Guiding Questions:
What are the two primary arguments made by economists in favour of sweatshop labour?
Why were those who landed factory jobs quitting (there were several)?
What are two ways in which factories could prevent high turnover?
For A Few More Cents.pdfGuiding Questions:
Why are companies looking to Southeast Asia to manufacture clothing?
What types of conditions are workers being forced into as a result of pressure to produce more clothing for corporations?
Why does the significant number of work hours impact unionization?
What two excuses were often given for not increasing wages?
Why do governments in countries where clothing manufacturing takes place refuse to increase minimum wages? How might AFWA's work help address this?
What does AFWA consider when arriving at a floor wage?
Guiding Questions:
Summarize MacAskill's argument for Sweatshops. It is important you read right to the end to fully capture the point he is trying to make.
MacAskill is a utilitarian ethical theorist. In the process of looking solely at utility what does he end up ignoring when examining both sweatshops and fairly traded goods?
Guiding Question:
What specific human rights violations may be connected to this story? In addition to the UNDHR, reference specific sections of any relevant treaties.
How might we solve the issue of modern day slavery and inhumane factory working?
An exercise in critical thinking
The White Hat is all about facts and information. The white colour stands for neutrality. Just the facts.
So it is concerned with questions such as:
What information do we have?
What information do we need?
What information is missing?
What questions do we need to ask?
How are we going to get that information?
It’s all about seeking out the truth and not about generating ideas.
While wearing the Red Hat, we express our true emotions.
We don’t have to validate them.
Opposite to the White Hat, we can say things like.
How does this make you feel?
Why does something need to be done?
What changes are you passionate about?
With the Yellow Hat, we aim to do positive speculation.
Let's be optimistic. What can be done?
What is the bright side regarding the issue?
The Black Hat for is looking for logical faults
The Black Hat is always logical. Unlike with the Red Hat, we do have to give good reasons for our concerns.
The Black Hat is also the opposite of the Yellow Hat, where we find benefits of ideas and plans.
What are the potential dangers and downsides to proposed solutions?
Fight confirmation bias, be critical and find potential pitfalls with ideas.
What are the challenges we are facing?
What obstacles need to be overcome?
Under the green hat, we are allowed to have crazy ideas. It’s all about creating many novel ways to look at things.
Wearing the Green Hat we make a conscious effort to come up with new ideas.
These are ideas that are non-obvious. The more obvious solutions (that may be just as good) can already be brought forward with the Yellow Hat.
Think outside the box. How are we going to resolve the issue?
Think big. What significant issues need to be addressed?
How can they be addressed?
Who needs to be involved?
How might we get them involved?
This is a leadership role. The blue hat needs to manage the time allocated to make the decision.
Focus (specify the) the discussion. Redirect team members toward the goal; re-focus discussion.
Outline the goal of the discussion and ensure it remains at the forefront throughout.
Results (summarize) and draw conclusions; help pull all of the ideas together
Monitor and control the discussion
Fair Trade
Guiding Questions:
List five challenges cocoa producers are facing in Ivory Coast.
What human rights violations are occurring as part of the cocoa producing industries. Refer specifically to human rights treaties.
How has fair trade chocolate initiatives helped cocoa producers?
In what ways in fair trade not solved some of the issues faced by producers?
Chocolate: The Bitter Truth
Click on the image to access the videos (there are four, 15-minute segments)
Note: several of the questions below should be added to throughout the viewing
Why do children end up involved as part of the chocolate supply chain?
Why do the children no get paid well or at all?
Why is it difficult to track the origins of cocoa?
Why are companies not ensuring there is no child labour involved in the picking of their cocoa?
How does fair trade chocolate work/how do companies ensure cocoa is not produced with child labour?
What holes are there in the fair trade system?
How can we go about ensuring the chocolate we eat is not produced using child labour?
Post viewing research: What international human rights treaties are being violated by cocoa being produced with child labour? Be specific.
Promoting Fairly Traded Products
Choose a product from here that you would to promote to others in the community.
How would you explain what fair trade is? Donald Trump talks about fair trade but it is not what we are talking about. How would you articulate the difference.
How would you encourage people to purchase this product as only fair trade? Would you use a story? Statistics? Human Rights legislation? Fair Trade International is likely the best place to start.
Guiding Question:
What criticisms must the fair trade industry address in order to find more success with the movement?
Child Soldiers
You may also appreciate this interview with Ismael Beah
Rights and the Environment
Guiding Questions:
What arguments might we make to expand rights beyond human rights?
Do we need to expand rights to include other-than-humans?
What arguments might we make in contrast to those offered by Kelsey Leonard?
Guided Video Reflection:
Complete the following in your notebooks.
One positive, negative and interesting thing you learned from the video.
Then, ask one question based on what you watched.
Guiding Questions:
What are some of the impacts that the fashion industry has on both the environment and labourers?
What would be the result of considering the impact of our clothing purchases on both the environment and the labourers who manufacture them?
Why are more clothes being purchased today than, say, 40 years ago?
According to the article, what are some possible options for reducing the impact that clothing purchases are having on the environment?
Guiding Questions:
List five facts that surprised you or might be worth remembering?
Why do recycling programs tend not to be successful?
Why is there scepticism around the recycling initiatives that some businesses have put in place?
What is the clothing deficit myth?
Why are east African countries rejecting North American "hand-me-downs"?
What are some of the suggested resolutions to fast fashion?
Checking For Understanding
Blood Diamond
Blood Diamond.aviWhat protocols have been put in place to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the commercial sales industry?
How effective have these protocols been?
What are some options/alternatives to ensure that you don't end up purchasing a blood diamond?
Preparing for the Development Unit: Human Rights and Politics in Development by Sakiko Fukuda-Parr in Human Rights: Politics and Practice
