St. Kitts UNESCO Seeks to Lower Murder Rate Through Human Rights Education

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, April 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A ceremony at the Ocean Terrace Inn in Basseterre, St. Kitts, launched a nationwide human rights educational initiative.  The ceremony was hosted by the steering committee of the St. Kitts and Nevis chapter of Youth for Human Rights.

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Jacqueline Christopher, Social worker and community development officer attached to St. Kitts UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) thanked the Scientology Freewinds motor vessel and the Church of Scientology for providing all educational materials and teaching aids to make this initiative possible.

The importance of implementing universal human rights education is spotlighted by an analysis by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime of 2011 statistics, the latest year available, that found the city of Basseterre, St. Kitts, to have the highest per capita murder rate internationally.

By raising awareness and understanding of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights through the Youth for Human Rights curriculum Ms. Christopher hopes to address this issue. One of the most fundamental of human rights enshrined in the document is the right to life, she said, and by ensuring all young people understanding this, the country can make great strides to lower violent crime.

Youth for Human Rights steering committee member Pierre Liburd briefed those attending the ceremony on Youth for Human Rights and its annual Human Rights Youth Summit at the United Nations in New York last August, where he represented St. Kitts and Nevis.

Ms. Christopher spoke of the success of the Youth for Human Rights curriculum at Beach Allen Primary and Sandy Point High Schools. Children who have done the program can now recite and explain the thirty human rights. It is her hope to see similar success in all St. Kitts and Nevis schools.

Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2001. Its purpose is to inspire youth to become advocates for tolerance and peace through education on the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

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SOURCE St. Kitts UNESCO