Human Rights Education: The 4th R
Educating for Economic Justice,
Vol. 9, No. 1, Spring 1998.

Exploring Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights

Overview: This lesson contains a number of suggestions to help students become familiar with the economic, social, and cultural rights in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The activities focus on the social issues in the United States relevant to these rights and efforts to guarantee them for all. Many of the suggested activities use the list of Rights Statements as well as the text of Articles 22 through 27 of the UDHR, both on the facing page.

Preparatory Exercises:

1. Students should group the Rights Statements according to topic (food, work, education, etc.) and identify the related articles in the UDHR.
   
2. Students should make a chart with the headings shown on this page, writing in the rights statements grouped by UDHR article, and filling in the rest as they learn.

Suggested Activities:

1. Students could create a survey or inventory based on the Rights Statements to assess the level to which economic, social, and cultural rights are upheld or denied in their community. They then can identify areas for action, brainstorm possible class projects, and develop a plan to address problems in the community.
   
2. Have students select one of these rights, and discuss or research the following questions:

How do you explain that some people have this right and others don’t? Do you consider the unequal application of this right to be fair?

What organizations and groups of people support making this right protected or promoted under U.S. law? Who opposes such efforts? What are the arguments on each side?

This right is available to some, but not all, people in the United States. What groups oppose making this right universal? What are the arguments presented?

What groups of people would particularly benefit from extension of this right in the United States?

3. Students could research particular historical events to achieve these rights (e.g. Pullman Strike, Poor People’s March, Haymarket Riots, Child Labor laws, immigration legislation). For an excellent framework for examining such events, see the activity “History and Human Rights” in the Fall 1997 Fourth R.
   
4. Students could choose one or more of the economic, social, and cultural rights set forth in the UDHR and investigate local, state, and federal government agencies and programs (e.g. WIC, social security, public schools, state art councils, OSHA, Medicare, city hospitals, supplemental security income, Department of Education, Fair Housing Commissions) that support and/or promote those rights. For the agency or program they could answer questions such as the ones below, as well as interview agency or program employees about their work.

What specific rights does the agency or program address?

Who is served by the agency or program?

What types of services are provided by the agency/program?

Is the agency /program operated by the local, state, or federal government?

From where does the agency/program obtain its funding?

What are some of the ways in which the agency/program is a success?

What are some of the problems or limitations of the agency/program?

Of the people who need this service, do all receive it? Which groups of people receive the service, and which do not? Why?

5. Students could research and report on non-profit organizations that work to promote and address abuses of or non-realization of specific economic, social, and cultural rights. Such organizations could be local, regional, national, or international. Examples include labor unions, food pantries, Oxfam America, homeless shelters, and social service organizations affiliated with religious groups. Questions similar to those in activity #4 could be used and the organi-zation’s staff and volunteers could be interviewed.
   
6. Students could find recent newspaper articles on current social and economic issues and identify the rights involved, noting whether the rights are being upheld, promoted, or denied. They also could write an editorial essay or letter to the editor addressing the issues in the article.
   
7. Have students research the way another country deals with one of these rights issues. What are the country’s problems with respect to the right, and how does it address them?
   

Students could choose one of the rights and research and report on pending and past legislation on the issue.

Contributed by Karen Kraco, AIUSA Human Rights Educators’ Network Steering Committee and David Shiman, Professor of Education at the University of Vermont.

Exploring Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights: Chart Headings

Rights Statement

Relevant UDHR Article

Relevant Social Issues (e.g. hunger, homelessness)

Relevant Government Agencies or Programs

Non-Profit Organizations that Address these Rights

Legislation  Addressing these Rights

Current Local Issues
—Issues in the News

Exploring Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights: Rights Statements

a.    Everyone has the right to social security, including unemployment insurance and disability insurance.

b.    All people are entitled to equal pay for comparable work.

c.    All people must be able to afford food for themselves and their families.

d.    Everyone has the right to safe working conditions.

e.    Everyone should have adequate and affordable housing available.

f.     Every person is entitled either to adequate health insurance or a state-supported free health care system.

g.     All children should have the same opportunity to receive a basic standard of education, regardless of where they live or how much money their parents earn.

h. The government has a responsibility to protect all children regardless of their economic background, social situation, race, or gender.

i.     Every person has the right to receive necessary medical attention regardless of his or her financial situation.

j.     All individuals have the right to enjoy and celebrate their culture, and speak their own language.

k.    All people have the right to work reasonable hours and receive pay for public holidays.

l.    Everyone has the right to adequate nutrition.

m.    All individuals have the right to form trade unions or to join the trade union of their choice.

n.    Every parent has the right to paid leave and adequate benefits both before and after childbirth or adoption.

o.    Higher education should be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.

p.    Everyone has the right to safe drinking water and a clean and healthy environment.

These statements were adapted from The Center for Human Rights Education’s “Understanding your Rights.” Contact CHRE at:  P.O. Box 311020, Atlanta, GA 31131 phone: 404-344-9629 fax: 404-3467517 email: rosschre@aol.com