Human rights examined by St Malachy’s College pupils

Pupils at St Malachy’s College have explored human rights and the work of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) during a virtual presentation.

St Malachy’s Year 11 Learning for Life and Work (LLW) class heard about the functions and structure of the NIHRC, including examples of its work in Northern Ireland.

The GCSE pupils learned that our human rights are protected through a number of ways, such as the Human Rights Act and United Nations Treaties.

Students also looked at migrant rights, human trafficking and modern day slavery, including how slavery and forced labour can never be justified under any circumstances.

Patricia Marcus, LLW teacher at St Malachy’s College said:

“It was great to welcome the Human Rights Commission to present to our LLW pupils. It’s very valuable for the student to learn about important issues around human rights and the work of the Commission. I hope we will be able to have them back in the future.”

Chief Commissioner, Les Allamby, commented:

“Thank you to St Malachy’s College for having us present to their LLW students. Our educational outreach to schools is a vital part of our education and awareness-raising function. It is also important that students know that we are all entitled to human rights, regardless for example of race, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age. We wish them all the best for the rest of their Citizenship module.”

ENDS

Further information:

For further information please contact Claire Martin on: (028) 9024 3987 or by email on claire.martin@nihrc.org

Notes to Editors

1.The NI Human Rights Commission is a statutory public body established in 1999 to promote and protect human rights. In accordance with the Paris Principles the Commission reviews the adequacy and effectiveness of measures undertaken by the UK Government to promote and protect human rights, specifically within Northern Ireland.

2. The animation on the work of the NIHRC can be viewed here.