Event to map future for human rights education

The online workshop event is designed to appeal to a broad audience, including practitioners, educators, students and activists.

The first of three panels will look at Human Rights Education for Human Rights, exploring examples from the Human Rights Centre Clinic, including its Digital Verification Unit. Dr Patricia Palacios-Zuloaga, Dr Koldo Casla and Dr Daragh Murray will discuss how opportunities to work on social justice projects while studying help develop students’ professional skills, aiding employability.

A second panel, Human Rights Education, will feature Professor Felisa Tibbitts, UNESCO Chair in Human Rights Education in Higher Education, Dr Duffy and Dr Carlos Gigoux-Gramegna, Deputy Director of the Centre for Migration Studies. This panel will raise the question of how human rights educators incorporate human rights principles and values, such as equality and non-discrimination into the classroom? How do asymmetries of power in learning environments affect participation?

The final panel will focus on Future Directions for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Chaired by Human Rights Centre Director Dr Andrew Fagan, the panel will feature Professor Sandra Liebenberg, H.F. Oppenheimer Chair in Human Rights Law, University of Stellenbosch, Professor Cephas Lumina, Nelson Mandela School of Law, University of Fort Hare and an Advocate of the High Court of Zambia, Ignacio Saiz, Executive Director of the Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR) and Dr Magdalena Sepulveda, Executive Director of the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) and Senior Research Associate at the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD).

This panel illustrates Essex Human Rights Centre’s ongoing role at the forefront of human rights education. Speaking ahead of the event, Professor Sandra Liebenberg (LLM, International Human Rights Law,1993) recalled how her Essex degree provided a ‘springboard’ to her future career. Returning to South Africa, she chaired an influential committee advising on the Bill of Rights contained in that country’s new constitution: “The in-depth international human rights law knowledge I gained during my LLM degree was invaluable to me in this role.

“I owe much to my Essex international human rights law degree. The knowledge and skills, alongside the networks and lifelong friendships forged, have continued to be enormously beneficial throughout my career.”