Conference hears of ‘global scandal’

Amnesty NSW Schools Team members Jacqui Marks and Sue Benham, Amnesty NSW Branch Committee President

by Kerri Carr

Violence against women is a "global human rights scandal of unparalleled dimension", Amnesty NSW Branch Committee President Debbie Johnson told annual conference on July 4.

"It affects the lives of women in every country, cutting across boundaries of education, wealth, race and culture," Ms Johnson said.

"More women die as a result of violence than are killed by cancer, road accidents or even malaria.

"Figures released in October released last year revealed that one in three women in Australia experiences violence in their intimate relationships," Ms Johnson said.

"Sadly, the situation for indigenous women in even worse," she added.

The campaign to stop violence against women is Amnesty International's key global campaign as part of its new agenda.

Ms Johnson said defending the rights of refugees and asylum seekers was another key area of Amnesty's work in Australia.

"As a human rights organisation, our approach is to highlight the areas where Australia has failed to fulfil its international humanitarian obligations," Ms Johnson said.

"As you would expect, the human rights situation in our own region, the Asia Pacific, is another key focus of our work.

"Home to over half the world's population, the region also bears witness to large scale abuses of human rights."

"The other key issue for Amnesty International is human rights and security, a concern for us globally and in Australia.

"In the aftermath of the horrific events of September 11 -- a crime against humanity -- we have seen the obligations of governments and society to safeguard human rights eroded in the name of national security or the 'war on terror' in many countries around the world," Ms Johnson said.

Ms Johnson said teachers have a vital role to play in developing a human rights culture in Australia.

"Teachers can play a powerful role in encouraging students and the wider community to engage with human rights issues," she said.

"You can support and encourage your students to form Amnesty groups.

"They [students] can take part in an annual schools forum or get involved in the arts-based Voices of Hope competition," Ms Johnson said.

"Another vital area where you can lend your support is to drive emphasis on human rights education in the curriculum," she said.

"If we are to generate sufficient emphasis on human rights eduction, both within schools and among policy makers, there needs to be enough of us making a case for it in our schools."

"Human rights education is essential if we are to build communities that respect the human rights of all their members, and whose laws, values and activities and government policies -- at home and internationally -- promote and protect those human rights," Ms Johnson said.

"We now aim to develop our human rights education program by producing high quality classroom materials on human rights; promoting human rights education in cooperation with schools, teachers and educational leaders; and developing a greater focus in state curricula on human rights education and issues of national concern such as values education, civics education and studies of Asia."

Contact Amnesty International human rights education coordinator Don McArthur via email at dmcarthur@amnesty.org.au or visit www.amnesty.org.au.

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