Work of the Human Rights Commission explored at Abbey CBS

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) has presented to students at the Abbey CBS as part of its educational engagement.

NIHRC spoke to Learning for Life and Work (LLW) pupils about its role in promoting and protecting the human rights of everyone in Northern Ireland, with the topic forming part of their Citizenship module.

The virtual presentation focused on the importance of the human rights that everyone in society has. Year 11 students examined which human rights they were entitled to, how some rights are absolute, and which rights can be limited in certain circumstances.

The GCSE pupils also were also shown the NIHRC’s latest short film ‘It Seems’, which focuses on climate and human rights and features Belfast poet Niamh McNally.

NIHRC Chief Commissioner, Les Allamby, commented:

“The Commission is very grateful to have been given the opportunity to discuss its work with LLW pupils at the Abbey CBS. It is an important function of the Commission that we engage in raising awareness of our work and that includes making students aware of what human rights they are entitled to. We thank the Abbey for inviting us to present, and wish the students every success with the rest of their Citizenship module.”

Abbey CBS Head of LLW Mr Gerald Morgan said:

“The students found the NIHRC presentation on Human Rights very worthwhile and insightful. It was great for them to hear directly from those who are at the forefront of working to protect everyone’s human rights in our society. The students were fully engaged throughout the presentation and benefitted greatly from the experience. We look forward to working with Jason and Zara again.”

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.

3. In September 2020, the NIHRC premiered a new short film called ‘It Seems’ – featuring Belfast-based poet, Niamh McNally. The film’s focus is on the issue of climate change, and it raises important questions about its impact on our human rights. ‘It Seems’ was developed by the NIHRC in partnership with Amnesty, Sustainability Northern Ireland and Climate Northern Ireland. It can be viewed here.