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| For the 31st year in a row, Equitas welcomed 127 human rights defenders and educators from over 60 countries to its one of a kind training program. The International Human Rights Training Program (IHRTP) took place from June 6 to June 25 at John-Abbott College in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. The participants, courageous and dynamic individuals working in often dangerous circumstances on some of the most difficult issues in their countries attend the program in order to enhance the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to bring about positive change in their communities. Participants are now safely back home, anxious to put their learning into practice. |
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“I hereby join my fellow participants to thank the IHRTP Team for making the 2010 human rights training program successful. I also extend special thanks to our facilitators for sharing with us knowledge and a blend of experience during the entire period of the program. Finally, I thank my dear participants for sharing with me best practices, human rights problems, challenges and solutions during the program”
Participant from Tanzania
“I send my greetings to the Equitas team and to my fellow participants. Today, I feel better equipped to work more effectively for the rights of women and girls in Togo. The stay and the exchanges with the Equitas team and the participants opened up to me a whole new world of collaboration and exchange in a surprising simplicity but containing a deep understanding of education about human values.”
Participant from Togo
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Play it Fair!... at a camp near you this summer
Play it Fair! continues to grow and succeed. Through the use of the Play it Fair! toolkit, an educational resource full of activities and games, children learn about human rights and human rights values through play.
The program is in use in day camps in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Fredericton, Moncton and Dieppe with planned expansion to Victoria, Halifax, and Charlottetown. We estimate that the program is now reaching 40,000 children and 2,000 child care workers annually.
On August 12, over 6,000 children from coast to coast will participate in Play it Fair Day! to celebrate International Youth Day. As part of the celebration, children will play games from the toolkit and creating a collective work of art depicting the human rights values of cooperation, respect, inclusion, acceptance, responsibility and respect for diversity.
The Play it Fair! toolkit reinforces human rights values and helps children learn how they can contribute to a more vibrant, diverse and inclusive community. Thetoolkit contains information and age appropriate activities and games for children aged 6-12 adapted for the summer camp environment. As well, it improves the ability of camp counsellors to respond to conflicts or disagreements among campers. The activities also include a reflection section that allows the children to further explore the essential values learned in the game.
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Human Rights Must be Considered While Rebuilding Haiti
More than simple supplies and donations are required for full recovery
Montreal, March 31, 2010 – As Haitians rebuild their lives and their country, it is imperative that international donors meeting in New York today commit to including human rights principles in the reconstruction plans and to working hand-in-hand with Haitian organizations that have struggled for years for the rights of all. Recognizing that the Haitian Government has not engaged in any meaningful consultations with Haitian civil society organizations in developing its national plan for the meeting, the international community should also take steps to ensure their meaningful participation in the future planning and delivery of reconstruction aid.
Montreal-based organization Equitas – International Centre for Human Rights Education has provided human rights training to over 70 Haitian human rights workers since 1994. Building on these long-standing relationships, Equitas will continue to assist the alumni of its training programs to respond to the immediate challenges ahead and build towards a culture of human rights in Haiti. Two Equitas staff members have just returned from Haiti where they met with alumni to begin the process of developing plans for future collaboration.
Next steps
The earthquake that struck the Western Hemisphere's poorest country on January 12 had a severe impact on the ability of Haitians to have their rights respected. Individual Haitians and local organizations provided the first and most effective response to the earthquake. In the absence of a functioning government, the Haitian people have demonstrated courage, a strong sense of community and a resolve to re-build a more equitable, just and democratic society.
“International donors and relief organizations now have a responsibility to ensure that their aid is being delivered in an equitable manner, respecting human rights values and principles”, according to Ian Hamilton, Executive Director of Equitas. Such an approach to rebuilding Haiti requires that the efforts of the international community:
- Reinforce equality between men and women.
- Do not discriminate against particular groups, specifically the vulnerable and marginalized sectors of society
- Address all human rights, including civil, political, economic, social and cultural
- Reinforce the capacity of the Haitian Government to fulfill its obligations under international human rights law
- Provide for meaningful participation of affected groups in the decision-making process
- Reinforce transparency and accountability
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