UNIT

Civics Grade 8

Module 1

10

Fundamental Human Rights and Obligations

Welcome to unit 10. In unit 9, you learnt that a citizen of Zambia has many rights that s/he has to enjoy. These rights are outlined in the constitution under the Bill of Rights. The right to vote is one of the rights that every citizen has. You also learnt that every Zambian citizen who is 18 years and above has the right to vote. Therefore, in this unit, you are going to learn about the fundamental human rights and obligations. It is my hope that you will learn a great deal and enjoy studying this unit.

What is in this Unit?

This unit is in 2 sections: Section 1: Rights Provided in the Constitution of Zambia. Section 2: Violation of Human Rights.

Learning Outcomes

Study Time

F outline the rights provided in the constitution of Zambia F discuss Human Rights obligations F outline the institutions and organisations that promote and F Protect human rights F explain the limitations to Human Rights F discuss forms of Human Rights violations F
The sections in this unit should take at least 2 to 2 hours. You might even finish in two hours. If you take more time than this, don't worry. What is important is to finish all the sections and do all the activities.

By the end of this unit, you should be able to: define human rights

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Key Ideas
Fundamental: Means serious and very important Obligation: these are duties that one is supposed to perform. Conscience: The ability to think what is right or wrong that determines a person's behaviour.

Section 1: Rights Provided in the Constitution of Zambia

Welcome to section 1 of unit 10. In unit 9, you learnt about elections. You also learnt about the right to vote which should be exercised by all the citizens. In this section, you are going to learn about what a right is and the rights found or provided in the constitution of Zambia. I hope you will enjoy studying this section.

History of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 10th December 1948. All member states and all peoples of the world are called to promote and observe these rights and freedoms set up in the declaration. Zambia ratified the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights immediately after its admission as a member of the United Nations on st 1 December 1964. Now you remember that in unit 1, you learnt that Civics is the study of rights and duties. As a citizen, you have rights that you have to enjoy. These rights are provided and protected by the constitution. What are your rights as a member of your community? In the space below, write your answers: .......................................................................................................................... ......................................................................................................................... Did you manage to write the answers correctly? If you did not, you can compare your answers with the rights mentioned below. But first let us look at the meaning of the word right. A right is a lawful benefit or claim you expect from the community. The rights that are outlined in the Constitution of Zambia are called Fundamental Human Rights. Human Rights are rights that any person enjoys as a human being. Part III of the Constitution of Zambia contains the Bill of rights. A Bill of rights is a document that describes the fundamental rights and freedoms of the people. Every citizen has an obligation to observe respect and promote these rights. These rights that are covered in part III of the Constitution of Zambia are outlined as follows:

? Right to Life; ? Right to be protected from torture; ? Right to liberty; ? Right not to be held as a slave or forced to work;

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Civics Grade 8 ? Freedom of conscience and religion; ? Freedom of expression and opinion; ? Right to move from one place to another; ? Right to nationality; ? Right to own property;

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? Right to quick and fair trial. For example, a person detained for over
48 hours without trial can ask the court of law to be tried or to be released if there is no case against her or him. This is known as a Writ of Habeas Corpus and;

? Freedom of assembly and association.

For the details concerning these rights refer to unit 6, section 3 on the rights and duties of a citizen.

Limitation to Human Rights

It is important for you to understand that there are limits to each of these rights, for example, every citizen has the right to own personal freedom, but if a person commits a crime such as trespassing in someone's yard, the affected person has the right to report such a case to the police. Therefore, you should always bear in mind that where your freedom ends, another person's freedom begins. I am sure by now you know what a right is, how our rights are covered and protected by the constitution of Zambia.

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Now that you know what a right is and the rights provided and protected by the constitution of Zambia, complete the following activity.

!Activity 1
Answer the questions below.
1. What is a right?

Circle the correct letters below.

Well done if you every thing correct. If you did not, do not be discouraged, all you need to do is to go through the section again. You will find answer at the end of this unit and compare them with yours.

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Key Ideas
Discrimination : Unfair and unjust treatment. Corporal punishment: Beating a child with a stick for committing an offence. Mentally retarded: Mentally disabled people or slow learners. Values: values are beliefs that guide peoples' actions, choices and behaviour. Customs: These are ideas, beliefs, attitudes, cultural values that guide the behaviour of people in a particular community. Environment: Environment means all the surrounding conditions which influence growth and development.

Section 2: Violation of Human Rights

In section 1 of this unit, you learnt about what a right is and the rights protected and provided by the constitution of Zambia. In this section, you are going to learn about violation of Human Rights. I hope you will enjoy studying this section.

Ways in which Human Rights are Violated

Your rights as a citizen of the country are very important. Rights must be observed and respected by all the citizens. Violation of Human Rights simply means not respecting and observing peoples' rights, which is a very serious offence. If any one is found guilty by the court for violating your human rights, he/she may be charged and punished by the court of law. What rights are violated in your community? Write your answers in the space below:................................................................. ........................................................................................................................... You might have written like wife battering, child abuse and sexual harassment. Now you may continue studying. The following are examples of violations of human rights.

? Child abuse such as rape and physical punishment like beating a

child.

? Child labour such as sending children to the market to sell, carrying

heavy goods which the child can not manage and crushing stones.

? Corporal punishment like digging pits as school punishment and

canning.

? Denying a person education by failing to send a child to school due

to lack of funds.

? Separation of a child from his or her parents due to divorce or

conflicts in the family.

? Discriminating the mentally retarded persons, by denying them

access to education, job opportunities and favourable infrastructure.

? Lack of employment due to insufficient resources. ? Sex discrimination on jobs, credit and loan facilities. ? Long working hours without rest. ? Segregation on property ownership and issuing of land. ? Poor and unbearable prisoners' conditions on:
- period of stay without trial,

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- torture, - food, - clothing, - accommodation, - labour

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What should the Government do to make people stop violating human rights? Write your answers in the space below:.......................................... ...........................................................................................................................

You might have written that the Government should educate and sensitise people on human rights.

There are institutions that promote and protect human rights in Zambia such as:

? Permanent Human Rights Commission (PHRC). ? Judiciary. ? Amnesty International. ? Inter-African Network for Human Rights and Development
(AFRONET).

? Law Association of Zambia (LAZ). ? Zambia Civic Education Association (ZCEA). ? Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF). ? Young Women Christians Association (YWCA).

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Now that you know what violation of human rights is, complete the following activity.

!Activity 2
Answer the questions below.
1. What is violation of human rights?

Circle the correct letters below.

You will find the answers at the end of this unit. Compare them with yours.

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Unit Summary
In this unit, you learnt that a right is a lawful benefit or claim you except from the community. These rights are outlined in the constitution of Zambia and they are known as Fundamental Human Rights. Human rights are rights that every human being should enjoy. Some of these rights are right to life, right to liberty, freedom of expression and opinions and right to a nationality. Every citizen has an obligation to observe, respect and promote these rights. However, Human rights can be violated, if they are not observed, respected and promoted. Violation of Human Rights is a very serious offence. If one is found guilty by the court of law for violating human rights, s/he may be charged and punished by the court of law. Child abuse, child labour, corporal punishment and separation of a child from his or her parents are some of the examples of violation of human rights. You also learnt that there are institutions that promote and respect human rights in Zambia such as the Permanent Human Rights Commission (PHRC), Judiciary, Amnesty International, AFRONET, Law Association of Zambia and Zambia Civic Education Association (ZCEA). I hope you enjoyed studying this unit and that you did all activities successfully. If you were unable to achieve the learning objectives, you may go through the sections again.

Answers to Activities in this Unit R

Activity 1
1. A right is a lawful benefit or claim a person gets from a community or nation. 2. i. Right to life ii. Right to liberty iii. Right to own property iv. Right to move from one place to another v. Right to quick and fair trial 3a. d. f. Rule of Law Writ of Habeas Corpus Legal Aid

Activity 2
1. Violation of human rights means not respecting and observing people's rights.

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2. Women's rights Childrens'rights Mentally retarded's rights Prisoners' rights

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3. Right to be protected from torture 4. Amnesty International

Glossary
Conscience: Knowing what is right or wrong, especially in your own actions. Beating with a stick for committing an offence. Unfair and unjust treatment. This means very important Mentally disabled people or slow learners. These are duties that one has to perform.

Corporal Punishment:

Discrimination: Fundamental: Mentally Retarded:

Obligation:

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