ISHR’s (Belarus) Young Human Rights Defender School Marks the 1st Anniversary

ISHR’s (Belarus) Young Human Rights Defender School Marks the 1st Anniversary

The Young Human Rights Defender School was opened in Brest by the decree of the Board of the ISHR (Belarus) dated January 25, 2020. A year later, the experiment can be called successful.

Author of textbooks on human rights, Professor Ivan Kotlyar took the scientific leadership of the school. Natal’ya Baydakova also plays an important role in the work of the institution, as she as the founder of the ISHR (Belarus), specialist in the field of history and human rights, lecturer of the Brest College of Communications is the director of the school.  

Natal’ya Baydakova during a class

The school is an educational institution whose task is to increase the literacy of students in the field of human rights, familiarize them with international documents in the field of human rights of the UN, the Council of Europe, the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen and others, legislation in the field of human and citizen rights of the Republic of Belarus.

The curriculum includes lectures and practical exercises, based on the results of which a test is passed. Classes are held at least once a month.

The students of the school are college students, high school pupils, undergraduates of higher educational institutions. The core of the school is its most active students: Marina Yurkevich, Artur Sergeev, Ekaterina Karpuk, Nikita Sibagatullin, others.

The teachers of the school are specialists in the field of human rights, the rights of the child. Leaders and experts of public organizations that focus on the protection of human and civil rights are also brought in.

At the Young Human Rights Defender School, a wide range of workshops has already been held:

  • discussions on the book “Human Rights and Personality. The Role of the Individual in the Knowledge, Protection, and Realization of Human Rights”;
  • defending of abstracts on the topic “Human Rights Defenders – Nobel Prize Laureates”;
  • essay competition on the theme “Our Right to Remember: Frontline Album”;
  • research on the matter “How is the Memory of Those Perished during the Great Patriotic War Honored in your Settlement”;
  • survey-questionnaire on the topic “The Results of World War II: Your Opinion”;
  • presentation of the ISHR film “Tell me about the War” with a discussion;

  • lectures (including media lectures): “Human Rights: Concept and Role,” “Brief History of the Ideas and Conceptions of Human Rights,” “International Protection of Human Rights,” “Human Rights in the Republic of Belarus,” “Human Rights and the Rights of the Individual. The Role of the Individual in the Realization of Human Rights”;
  • practical lessons: “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,” “The Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. National Legislation on Human Rights,” “Human Rights and Social Groups’ Rights (Children’s Rights, Youth’s Rights, Consumer’s Rights, and others),” “The Role of the Media in Highlighting the Ideas of Human Rights (on the Example of the Newspaper «Brestskiy Vestnik»),” “The Role of Society in the Protection and Realization of Human Rights. Human Rights Organizations in the World and Europe”.

 

The school participates in the life of the city and public associations. Pupils of the school are involved in the activities of the ISHR (Belarus). The work of the school continues.

Natal’ya Baydakova, director of ISHR’s (Belarus) Young Human Rights Defender School

Pavel Pernikau, member of the board, head of the press center of the ISHR (Belarus)