Human Rights for All
New Crown English Series 3 (Heisei 17) pg. 78-81
| Human Rights for All | |
|---|---|
| ? | |
| Details | |
| Word count | 320 |
| Book | New Crown |
| Grade | 3 |
| Year | 2005 |
Like most Japanese junior high school students, you come to school every day and go home after school. These are activities that are natural for you. But many children in other countries cannot go to school. They cannot spend time at their homes.
These children may live in countries at war, and they suffer. They are treated unfairly, and they suffer. Because of these sufferings, they have to leave their schools and homes behind. These children are refugees.
What are the lives of these refugee children like?
Think about the case of the children in this photo. They are from Kosovo. Their village was attacked. Their father and older brother were in great danger and had to run away. These children and their mother were left behind. But they were in danger too. They had to leave. They became refugees.
There are millions of children like them. These children are refugees living in Africa, Asia and Europe - everywhere.
The lives of these refugees are hard, but some people are trying to help them. Some doctors are helping refugees who are sick. Some teachers are working in schools for refugee children who cannot go to school. Some people are working to bring these refugees food and safe water. And some people are helping these refugees when they return to their homes.
One person who worked to help refugees was Ogata Sadako.
At the UN, Ms Ogata worked for refugees. She did this not because she felt sorry for them. She did this because she believes that every person has basic human rights. She believes in the dignity of every person.
Let's think about the words she has said about the human rights of children.
All the children in the world have the same basic human rights. They have the right to live with their families, the right to go to school in peace, and the right to grow up in safety.
