Human Rights

The Rights of Refugees

When the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established in 1951, there were an estimated 1 million refugees to care for, the majority of whom were European.

People become refugees because one or more of their basic human rights have been violated or threatened. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) underlines the strong connection between human rights and the work of UNHCR. Article 14 of the UDHR states that "everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution."

9-11 year olds	To Be A Refugee Unit Plan Lesson Plans Lesson 1: Spot the Refugee - Part 1 Lesson 2: Spot the Refugee - Part 2 Lesson 3: How Does It Feel - Part 1 Lesson 4: How Does It Feel - Part 2
12-14 year olds	Rights, Responsibilities and Refugees Unit Plan Lesson Plans Lessons 1 and 2: Rights and Responsibilities: The Two Sides of a Coin Lesson 3: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Lessons 4 and 5: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Rights of Refugees
15-18 year olds	The Right to Asylum Unit Plan Lesson Plans Lessons 1 and 2: Asylum Lesson 3: Refugees' Experiences in Countries of Asylum: "What's in a name"?