From Convention to Classroom: The Long Road to Human Rights Education

Human Rights Education is one of the most effective
ways of preventing human rights violations. Yet human
rights education in schools is still not commonplace.
Paula Gerber analyses why this is so. Using a case
study approach, she evaluates the extent to which
schools in Melbourne, Australia and Boston, USA are
giving effect to the human rights education norm in
the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In the
process, the author exposes some of the legal and
educational obstacles to widespread school-based
human rights education. Interviews with teachers,
government employees and NGOs provide a rich source
of data, and reveal numerous, and diverse impediments
to human rights education. The author offers a new
perspective on States practices regarding human
rights education, and fresh ideas on how to increase
States compliance with relevant international laws.
Dr Gerber cleverly interweaves legal theories
regarding States compliance with international human
rights law, with empirical research on educational
practices, to produce an engaging scholarly book
relevant to all those interested in human rights
education, whether from a legal, educational, or
political standpoint.

Autorentext

Paula Gerber LLB (QUT), M.Sc (King's College London), LLM (Monash), PhD (Melb) is a senior lecturer at Monash University Law School in Melbourne, Australia and Deputy Director of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law. She is a recognised expert in human rights education, having presented numerous conference papers and published widely in the area.

Klappentext

Human Rights Education is one of the most effective ways of preventing human rights violations. Yet human rights education in schools is still not commonplace. Paula Gerber analyses why this is so. Using a case study approach, she evaluates the extent to which schools in Melbourne, Australia and Boston, USA are giving effect to the human rights education norm in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In the process, the author exposes some of the legal and educational obstacles to widespread school-based human rights education. Interviews with teachers, government employees and NGOs provide a rich source of data, and reveal numerous, and diverse impediments to human rights education. The author offers a new perspective on States' practices regarding human rights education, and fresh ideas on how to increase States' compliance with relevant international laws. Dr Gerber cleverly interweaves legal theories regarding States' compliance with international human rights law, with empirical research on educational practices, to produce an engaging scholarly book relevant to all those interested in human rights education, whether from a legal, educational, or political standpoint.