Participants benefit from the extension of their club into the community, learning from places where human rights issues develop (e.g. courts, prisons, international borders) or where people work to defend rights or relieve victims (e.g. nonprofit organizations, food or clothing banks, free clinics). The purpose of the visit should be explained in advance, and participants should be instructed to pay critical attention and to record their observations for a subsequent discussion, written reflection following the visit, and possible actions plan.

Health

Health is a fundamental human right, and a basic goal of global development. Numerous resolutions of the World Health Organization (WHO), a United Nations agency specialized in this area, have reaffirmed this goal and the need to reduce the gross inequalities in the health status of the world’s people. The planning and the implementation of primary health care requires both individual and collective action to ensure that while health is provided for all, most resources go to those most in need. Exploring local, national and global health care systems suggest diverse and interesting projects.

A local doctor or visiting health worker can be a good resource as a guest speaker or for relevant facts and ideas.

Arrange field trips to hospitals and community health projects.

The general topic of health also raises other important human rights issues in many countries: discrimination against girls in health care, the health implications of child labour and child marriage, the right to information about reproductive health, the negative effects of environmental pollution and malnutrition, and the positive effects of education on health.

Councils and Courts

Laws are made by national law-making bodies. Members of the club need to see the process of law-making for themselves in order to answer these questions:

• What is the law?
• Who makes it?
• What improvements could be made?

Arrange for a group visit to a regional or central chamber of the country’s parliament in session so that students can watch its members at work. Discuss the three questions above. Likewise, arrange a visit to a lawcourt to see not only laws being administered but also decisions being made that set legal precedents which may directly or indirectly affect future decisions. Discuss the same questions above.
After the visit, organize the group or the class into a model parliament and arrange a debate on current issues or a mock trial to adjudicate a local or national case at law. Encourage participants to find suitable examples themselves.

To introduce an international dimension, have the group research the decision-making processes of the United Nations and the issues currently discussed. The group could watch and discuss movies like Hunt for justice.

Invite a local political figure or a spokesperson from civil rights association to talk to the group about the three questions raised at the beginning of this activity, plus six more:

• Why are laws obeyed?
• How is “justice” done?
• How is “fairness” achieved in government and the law?
• Are women given equal status before the law?
• How many women are lawyers in your country? Magistrates? Judges? Lawmakers in local or national legislative bodies?
• How do these numbers affect the way women are treated in law?