Level of difficulty: 1 Recommended age: > 6 years. EDUCATION FOR INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING Human Rights Bingo Objectives: Gain knowledge of different international treaties to protect human rights. Understand the commitments of states. Summary: Students play a version of bingo in which each bingo card represents a country. Time: 45 min. Lesson Type: Indoors, active. Group Size: 8-30. Materials: Photocopies of international treaties and a sheet of paper per student to make his or her own bingo card (see the Appendix). Beans or buttons to cover squares called out. Instructions Give each student a bingo card. Each student represents a different country. Select an international treaty at random, read it out or explain it, and name the countries that have signed on to it. Tell students they may put a bean or button over the treaty on their bingo card if their country has signed the treaty. The student who fills in their first, i.e. the country state which has ratified the most treaties, yells Bingo and ends the game. Debrief Questions: What happened? How many squares did you cover? Were there many differences between countries? How did you feel about the game? Before the game, depending on your country, did you think you had a chance of winning? Did the winner surprise you? Of all the treaties has signed, which does it fulfil, and which not? Tips for the facilitator To distinguish more clearly the behaviours of countries, play the game with students lined up side-byside in a single row in a large area. Instruct each student-country to move forward a step every time you call out a treaty ratified by that country. The winner is the student who advanced three steps. Ensure students understand what is meant by ratify a treaty. Inform them that just because a country has ratified a treaty doesn t mean it will abide by it. Questions: Has your country violated treaties it s signed? Is there a way to monitor countries so they do everything they can to abide by the treaties they ratify? How? If you wish to complement this lesson or have students reflect on how much states should stick to the treaties they ratify, direct students to a commercial on the Amnesty International website at web. es.amnesty.org/elpoderdetuvoz/ (in Spanish). Inform them the commercial has been banned and discuss whether the arguments given to ban it are convincing. Get involved Ask students to study http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/ratification/index.htm and determine which treaties has ratified. Discuss which treaties haven t been ratified but probably should be, and invite them to send a message with an explanation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Contact a human rights organization so it can explain how much in reality treaty promises are upheld, and what needs to be done so human rights are made a full reality. Source: School for a Culture of Peace (2009). Juegos de paz: Caja de Herramientas para educar para una cultura de paz. Madrid: La Catarata.
against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (December 10, 1984) Prohibits the use of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment as serious violations of human rights under international legislation. The convention includes many preventative measures. to Combat Desertification (October 14, 1994) Combats the physical, biological, and socioeconomic causes of desertification and drought, particularly in Africa. : Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (December 18, 1979) Defines the basic framework for women s human rights and related obligations to eliminate discrimination. The convention calls for equality between men and women in matters of the law, politics, economics, society, and culture. :
Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (December 9, 1948) Condemns all acts of genocide committed in time of peace or war and classifies this extreme violation of human rights. The convention puts the crime of genocide under the jurisdiction of international law and it serves as the foundation for International Humanitarian Law on Climate Change (Kyoto Protocol) (December 11, 1997) The convention aims to stabilize levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. It calls on industrialized nations to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 5 percent of their 1990 levels. It comes into effect when the total of all such emissions by signatories reaches 55 percent of world emissions. Relating to the Status of Refugees (July 28, 1951) Protects and defines who is a refugee and specifies the rights of refugees and duties of countries.
Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (March 7, 1966) Defines and condemns racial discrimination and invites countries that exercise this form of discrimination to change their national laws and policies to combat it. The convention is the first to establish a system of international supervision to monitor the rights of racial minorities and ethnic groups around the world. Biological Weapons (April 10, 1972) Prohibits the manufacture and use of biological weapons and toxins, but doesn t include a formal verification regime. Chemical Weapons (September 3, 1992) Calls for the elimination of chemical weapons and an international system of control. It contains a verification regime to monitor compliance by states.
Rights of the Child (November 20, 1989) Protects the civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights of children. Additionally, the convention s goal is to protect children from discrimination, negligence, and abuse in times of peace and war. International Criminal Court (Rome Statute) (July 17, 1998) Establishes the International Criminal Court to judge crimes of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. It works to put an end to, permanently and independently, impunity for crimes linked to these sorts of human rights violations. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (December 16, 1966) Protects the right to life and to freedom from torture, slavery, forced work, arbitrary detention, and limitations to fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of expression, movement, or association.
International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (December 16, 1966) Upholds economic, social, and cultural rights by protecting the individual as a person, and is based on the idea that only societies that can guarantee rights to education, food, and health can fully enjoy all civil and political rights. Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines (Ottawa Treaty) (September 18, 1997) Prohibits the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of anti-personnel mines. It obliges signatories to destroy their mine stocks within 4 years of the entering into effect of the treaty, and to demine minefields on their sovereign territory within 10 years. Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (July 1, 1968) Aims to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, promote cooperation in harnessing nuclear energy peacefully, and eventually achieve total nuclear disarmament.
- Human rights bingo: Sample bingo-card arrangement. Player should draw a 3x5 grid and write an international treaty randomly in each square. (COUNTRY NAME) to Combat Desertification on the Rights of the Child Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti- Personnel Mines (Ottawa Treaty) Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Biological Weapons International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination International Criminal Court (Rome Statute) International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Chemical Weapons Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women on Climate Change (Kyoto Protocol) Relating to the Status of Refugees Instruct students to choose from the following countries:,,,,,,,,,,, North Korea,,,,, United States,,,,,,,,,,,,, and.