This human rights education textbook presents 12 learning activities based on landmark decisions of the European Court of Human Rights. It aims to familiarise secondary school students with the key principles of European law related to human rights to help them understand how the European Court of Human Rights works. It also seeks to foster the role and responsibilities of the teacher as a key actor in ensuring the effective implementation of the principles of the European human rights system. This collection complements other resources that are available for teaching human rights, and it makes a distinct contribution in three ways.
First, the focus is on cases where individuals are challenging established practices, and in so doing are indirectly advancing the interests of others. Second, the cases relate back to key societal values, including tolerance, respect for others, fairness and protection against arbitrariness. Confronted with these themes, students soon begin applying them to their own relationships and communities. Third, these materials are for young people, by young people. The result is a set of rich and nuanced materials which help young people grasp the role interpretation can play in the law.
