UNIT PLAN FOR AGES 15-18 IN HUMAN RIGHTS AND REFUGEES: The Right to Asylum
UNIT OBJECTIVES
Knowledge
To introduce the concept of asylum
To realise that the right to asylum is a basic human right
To understand the limits of asylum - who is excluded?
To understand the political and economic forces which affect asylum-granting practices
To understand the meanings and possible sources of stereotypes, prejudice, racism and discrimination
Skills
To practise sensitive enquiry and reasoning skills
To recognise prejudice in oneself and others
To identify means by which refugees may integrate in their host countries
To articulate contrasting feelings
To strengthen discussion skills
Values
To encourage empathy
To avoid stereotyping and excluding people from "our" communities
To appreciate the importance of open-mindedness and respect for others, particularly people different from oneself
To reflect upon fundamental human rights - those rights to which all human beings are entitled by virtue of their common humanity
LESSON 1
| CONTENT |
TEACHING METHODS/LEARNING STRATEGIES |
Asylum - a basic human right
The history of the institution of asylum |
Introduction: Students are asked for their impressions of the meaning of the term asylum
Development: Exploration of the meaning of asylum, through discussion of article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Students read the article "Asylum Under Threat" and answer comprehension and discussion questions. |
| RESOURCES |
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Suggested readings for the teacher:
UNHCR, The State of the World’s Refugees 1997-98: A Humanitarian Agenda (Oxford, OUP, 1997), Chapter 5: The Asylum Dilemma, pp. 183-223
UNHCR, Protecting Refugees: Questions & Answers (Geneva, UNHCR, 2005), available free of charge from the Public Information Unit, UNHCR, 1775 K St. NW Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006.
Statute of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (1950), available free of charge from the Public Information Unit, UNHCR, 1775 K St. NW Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006.
Convention and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees (1951), available free of charge from the Public Information Unit, UNHCR, 1775 K St. NW Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006. | |
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LESSONS 2 and 3
| CONTENT |
TEACHING METHODS/LEARNING STRATEGIES |
Pressures upon asylum
Factors leading to an increase in the number of asylum seekers in recent years.
Reasons why states are granting fewer requests for asylum. |
Students are given the chapter to read for homework, and asked to write answers to the comprehension and discussion questions.
In class, go through the answers, ensuring clear understanding of pressures upon the institution of asylum.
Group work: Each group to read one of the articles listed in the Resources column and report back examples of threats to asylum drawn from the article. |
| RESOURCES | |
| "Protecting Refugees - An Introduction", UNHCR.2005 | |
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LESSON 4
| CONTENT |
TEACHING METHODS/LEARNING STRATEGIES |
Prejudice, Stereotyping, Racism
In the country of asylum, refugees may be safe from the persecution that they suffered in their own countries, but they face the huge problem of not being thoroughly accepted in their new country. |
Using the UNHCR poster What’s the Difference? as a springboard for exchange of ideas, students are asked to consider the possible problems of prejudice and stereotyping which refugees at times have to endure in their countries of asylum. |
| RESOURCES | |
UNHCR Lego poster entitled What’s the Difference?
Susan Fountain, Education for Development (London, Hodder and Stoughton, 1995), pp. 82-83
Suggested reading for teachers:
Teaching Human Rights (New York, United Nations, 1989), p. 45-51 | |
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LESSON 5
| CONTENT |
TEACHING METHODS/LEARNING STRATEGIES |
Those who are entitled to asylum and those who are not
Among those who apply for asylum, there are some people who clearly qualify as refugees according to the 1951 Convention and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees. However, in other cases, there are some who do not meet the qualifications for refugee status. In fact, the Convention specifically excludes certain types of asylum seekers. |
Group work:
Students become UNHCR Protection Officers, to determine the status of five asylum seekers, whose cases are described in the Student Resource Sheet.
(Answers to Case Studies) |
| RESOURCES | |
Suggested reading for teachers:
UNHCR, Protecting Refugees: Questions & Answers (Geneva, UNHCR, 2005) | |
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