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Citizenship is a relatively new subject in the
Northern Ireland curriculum although aspects of it have been
taught in other subjects for quite some time.
At the heart of the revised Northern Ireland Curriculum is
Learning for Life and Work which includes Local and Global
Citizenship.
Local and Global Citizenship addresses four key concepts:
- Diversity and Inclusion
- Human Rights and Social Responsibility
- Equality and Social Justice
- Democracy and Active Participation
Learning for Life and Work is being run on a pilot basis
in 97 schools and colleges in Northern Ireland to help with
the smooth introduction of these new areas. It includes areas
such as Personal, Social and Health Education, Citizenship
and Employability. Aspects of Learning for Life and Work will
become part of the statutory curriculum from September 2007
onwards.
Council for the Curriculum Examinations and Assessments (CCEA)
has produced learning and teaching resource materials for
Local and Global Citizenship at Key Stage 3 and these are
complemented by a wide variety of case study and resource
materials on local and global issues produced by voluntary
organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Local
media, including the BBC, UTV and Channel 4 have also produced
resources.
This month we are looking at the topic of Human Rights. The
Human Rights Act 1998 gives legal effect in the UK to certain
fundamental rights and freedoms contained in the European
Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
These rights not only affect matters of life and death like
freedom from torture and killing, but also affect your rights
in everyday life: what you can say and do your beliefs, your
right to a fair trial and many other similar basic entitlements.
European Convention of Human Rights
This is an international agreement drawn up by the Council
of Europe to protect people's human rights after the horrors
of the Second World War. It took effect in 1953 and sets out
fundamental rights and freedoms that everybody should have
and the limited circumstances when the State may interfere
with those freedoms. These include a right to liberty, a right
to a fair trial, privacy, freedom of speech etc. The Council
of Europe represents a wider group of countries than the EU.
Anyone who believes the law in this country has not dealt
fairly with their rights can take their case to the European
Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The UK has agreed to
abide by the findings of the Strasbourg court but this is
a long and costly process. Before the Human Rights Act 1998
came into force the UK courts themselves had no power to deal
with human rights cases.
Human Rights Law in Northern Ireland
Under the Human Rights Act 1998, the Northern Ireland Assembly,
the Executive Committee, all Northern Ireland departments
(including the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First
Minister) and public bodies must follow the rights in the
European Convention. This rule also applies during periods
of suspension.
Judges in Northern Ireland have the power to rule out any
laws passed by the NI Assembly that break the Convention.
The Belfast Agreement established the Northern Ireland Human
Rights Commission to protect and promote human rights in Northern
Ireland. They have also been asked to consider the possibility
of defining rights in a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.
Most people consulted have supported the idea, but there is
disagreement about what should be in it.
In order to improve access to justice and the fairness of
our laws and procedures, the Human Rights Act 1998 was passed,
incorporating into our law nearly all the rights contained
in the Convention. Under this Act all our laws must, as far
as possible, conform to the rights listed under the Convention,
and public bodies - such as the armed forces, local authorities,
schools, hospitals, the police, prisons and the courts - must
carry out their work in a way that respects these basic human
rights. If they don't, then the law or the actions of the
public body can be challenged in our own courts. If a court
says that an Act of Parliament is "incompatible"
with the rights in the Convention, the Government can amend
it quickly by using a special procedure.
Next month we will take a closer look at the various articles
that make up the Human Rights Acts There are 16 basic rights
in the Human Rights Act. They don't only affect matters of
life and death like freedom from torture and killing; they
also affect people's rights in everyday life: what they can
say and do their beliefs, their right to a fair trial and
many other similar basic entitlements.
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