A RESOURCE BOOK FOR TEACHING HUMAN RIGHTS AND PEACE

INTRODUCTION

Schools and other institutions of learning have always been key agents of socialization and social change. The structured and far-reaching features of formal education make it an important venue and mechanism in increasing knowledge, instilling values and changing attitudes on various societal issues and concerns.

Human rights and peace are among the key issues that need to be popularized, if not mainstreamed, in Philippine society considering the persistence of human rights violations and abuses, and the culture of impunity in the Philippines. Citizens, particularly children and youth who are at the early and critical stages of their growth and development as human beings, should be made aware that they have rights and as rights-holders they have responsibilities pertaining to these rights. It is likewise crucial that at an early stage, the values of peace, tolerance and respect for differences of peoples and cultures are instilled among children and youth.

In realizing these goals in the confines of schools, the roles and contributions of teachers have to be recognized and strengthened.
As a key pillar of the educational system, teachers should have the competence and commitment to perform their task as change agents and human rights and peace advocates of society. Transforming every classroom and every corner of the school campus into “human rights and peace zones” is an advocacy school teachers can assume with utmost competence and passion provided they find themselves in an enabling and supportive environment.

As a human rights research and information institute, the Philippine Human Rights Information Center (PhilRights) has embarked on this project to provide a resource material on human rights and peace to public school teachers. It is the intention of PhilRights that with this publication, A Resource Book for Teaching Human Rights and Peace, it will be able to enhance the knowledge and understanding of public secondary school teachers on peace and human rights, and consequently enrich the contents of their lessons and the messages they impart in the course of integrating peace and human rights into the different subject areas they handle.

Nymia Pimentel Simbulan, Dr. PH
Executive Director

USERS OF THE RESOURCE BOOK

The intended users of this resource book are secondary public school teachers, particularly those who participated in the trainings on human rights and peace integration in the school curriculum conducted by PhilRights in the provinces of North Cotabato and Maguindanao in 2005 and 2009. However, the material may also be useful and relevant to teachers both in the private and public schools who have not participated in the trainings, those involved in informal and non-formal education including community organizers and popular educators, human rights and peace defenders, and anyone interested in learning about peace and human rights.

The general objective of the resource book is to increase and deepen the knowledge and understanding of public secondary school teachers on human rights and peace particularly in the context of the history and current situation in Mindanao.

Specifically, this resource book aims to:

1. Familiarize users with basic human rights concepts, principles and State obligations, including the Rights-Based Approach (RBA) to development.

2. Familiarize users with a brief background and main provisions of the core human rights instruments, optional protocols and declarations, namely:
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, 1948)
• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR, 1966)
• International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR, 1966)
• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW, 1979)
• Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC, 1989)
• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007)

3. Enhance users’ knowledge on the situation and history of the conflict in Mindanao, and

4. Deepen users’ understanding of the connection between peace and human rights.

HOW TO USE THE RESOURCE BOOK

This resource book is primarily a reference material on peace and human rights. It can be used by teachers to familiarize themselves with the concepts, principles, categories, and treaties related to peace and human rights. It also provides information on the history of Mindanao and the Mindanao conflict where human rights and peace issues have been central concerns.

Aside from being a reference material, the resource book can be used as a training material for those wanting to conduct basic human rights and peace education in their communities and schools, especially in Mindanao. It is divided into five (5) modules covering the following major topics:

Module 1: Human Rights Concepts, Principles, State Obligations and the Rights-Based Approach (RBA)

Module 2: Core Human Rights Instruments and Declarations

Module 3: International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Conventions

Module 4: History of the Conflict in Mindanao

Module 5: The Right to Self-Determination

The learning modules are designed following the Activity-Discussion-Input-Deepening-Synthesis (ADIDS) format. Although users are encouraged to go through every module as they are presented in the Resource book in a three-day session or in a staggered manner, they can also skip modules or randomly browse through any module of interest to them since each module is designed to stand alone. Also, depending on the available time, not all the suggested activities included in the modules need to be conducted. The users of the resource book have the option to conduct one or all the suggested activities in the course of the training.

ADVANCED TEACHER TRAINING MODULE

Integrating Human Rights and Peace in Secondary Public Education
Towards Strengthening Christian, Moro and Lumad Relations in Mindanao

General Objective:

To increase and deepen the knowledge and understanding of public secondary school teachers on human rights and peace particularly in the context of the history and current situation of Mindanao.

Specific Objectives:

1. Familiarize the trainees with basic human rights concepts, principles and State obligations, including the Rights-Based Approach (RBA) to development.

2. Familiarize the trainees on the background and main provisions of the core human rights (HR) instruments, optional protocols and declarations, namely:

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, 1948)
• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR, 1966)
• International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR, 1966)
• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW, 1979)
• Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC, 1989)
• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007)

3. Familiarize the trainees with the background and certain provisions of the Geneva Conventions.

4. Enhance the trainees’ knowledge on the history of and situation in Mindanao.

5. Deepen the trainees’ understanding of the connection between peace and human rights.

OUTLINE

MODULE 1.
HUMAN RIGHTS CONCEPTS, PRINCIPLES, STATE OBLIGATIONS AND THE RIGHTS-BASED APPROACH (RBA)

1.1. Human Rights Concepts
1.2. Historical Development of Human Rights
1.3. Principles of Human Rights
1.4. Legal Bases of Human Rights
1.5. Categories of Human Rights
1.6. Nature of State Human Rights Obligations
1.7. Classification of Human Rights Violations
1.8. Concept of the Rights-Based Approach (RBA) to development
1.9. Elements of the Rights-Based Approach
1.10. Concept of Peace and its Link to Human Rights

MODULE 2.
CORE HUMAN RIGHTS INSTRUMENTS AND DECLARATIONS

2.1 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
2.2 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
2.3 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)
2.4 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
2.5 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
2.6 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007)

MODULE 3.
INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW AND THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS

3.1 Background and Nature of International Humanitarian Law
3.2 The Four Geneva Conventions
3.3 Additional Protocols

MODULE 4.
HISTORY OF THE CONFLICT IN MINDANAO

4.1 Issues of the Tri-people in Mindanao
4.2 The Evolution of the Relationships Among the Tri-People in Mindanao

MODULE 5:
THE RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION

5.1 Definition of Self- Determination
5.2 National Self-Determination, Peace and Human Rights
5.3 Bangsamoro Right to Self-Determination