Part I Introduction to human rights education • Increased capability of people to: –– apply human rights knowledge and understanding to their own situations –– apply international human rights standards to local, national and international contexts –– translate United Nations legal and technical language and concepts into those appropriate to their contexts –– analyse structures and systems through a human rights lens –– reflect on their own actions and the consequences of their behaviours –– identify those human rights issues that are most pertinent to their group, community or society –– develop strategies to prevent and address human rights violations. • motivated individuals and communities able to take action toward human rights outcomes. 2.3. WHO IS HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION DIRECTED AT?46 Human rights education is for everyone. However, there are three identifiable groups to whom human rights education may be directed: • rights holders; those most vulnerable to human rights violations • duty bearers; those most able to defend or violate others’ rights • influencers; those most able to influence other’s opinions and actions. Everyone is potentially a rights holder, a duty bearer and an influencer. In a particular context, however, there is usually a set of dynamics that can identify the specific position that each person or group occupies. Using a structural analysis lens,47 these groupings are based on power relations; who has the power in a situation and who does not. Before, we were afraid, because we did not know that we had any rights. Even if others treated us badly, we did not fight back, because of fear. Sama Dilaut/Bajau, Philippines Rights holders are those who are entitled to specific rights and protections. On an individual basis, a rights holder may be such because of the relationship they have with a duty bearer; for example, a child to a parent, a student to a teacher, a woman to a man, a disabled person to a non-disabled person, a teacher to the school board, a soldier to the General, a Government to a multinational corporation. In a society, whole groups of people may be the rights holders due to their marginalized status. The specialized human rights treaties reflect some of these groups; women, children and young people, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants and refugees, indigenous peoples and prisoners. Other groups that do not currently have specialized human rights treaties dedicated to them but are nonetheless still covered under the protections offered by all core human rights treaties include older people, people living in poverty and gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual and intersex people.48 While individuals within these groups may not specifically encounter marginalization or discrimination, the group they belong to does. 46 APF (2015) Who is Human Rights education for? Available online at www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8X6DBc_hsk (5.07). 47 See p. 34 for an explanation of “structural analysis”. 48 There are also sets of international human rights principles relevant to certain groups, such as the Yogyakarta Principles (and the Yogyakarta Principles +10) which apply to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. Available online at https:// yogyakartaprinciples.org/principles-en/yp10/. Chapter 2: Human rights education: An overview | 15