HC Deb 12 March 2002 vol 381 cc948-9W
Dr. Starkey

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the activities undertaken by the UK in the framework of the Decade for Human Rights Education. [40527]

Margaret Hodge

There are a number of activities undertaken by the UK which promote human rights education relevant to the UN Decade for Human Rights. These includethe introduction of citizenship education, which teaches children about legal and human rights, as part of the Personal, Social and Health Education and Citizenship framework in primary schools. This will be a compulsory subject in the National Curriculum from September 2002 in England. Citizenship education is also available within the curricula of Wales and Scotland. the introduction of a human rights perspective into the Department for International Development's work, as set out in DFID's Target Strategy Paper, "Realising Human Rights for Poor People". a "human rights helpline" and website managed by the Home Office on the Human Rights Act. National roadshows have also been held to explain its implications to a wider audience. the website developed by the British Council, which provides a news service on human rights issues in the UK. It also contains information on international developments on civil and political rights, the rights of children, and the rights of minority groups. A set of booklets on Citizenship Education and Human Rights Education has also been distributed to UK and overseas audiences.