QUESTION FOR DR. BERG:
WHAT IS THE SCIENTOLOGY HUMAN RIGHTS PROGRAM AND DO YOU SUPPORT IT?
BERG:
How could anyone not support human rights?
It’s about as basic as being human!
All the great religions are rooted in respect and help for others. Christians help people all over the world whether they’re Christian or not. “Love thy neighbor” is a tenet that applies no matter your race, color, or creed. Scientology supports several non-profit, non-religious initiatives, and the human rights initiative is very close to my heart.
The strategy has two parts, United for Human Rights and Youth for Human Rights International.
The first question one should ask when it comes to human rights is: “What are human rights?”
You’re likely to get a different answer from each person you ask! The concept of “human rights” was likely not even known in the ancient world, and the journey and fight for human rights have been going on for centuries. Following the atrocities of World War 2 and the death of 50 million people (or far more), the United Nations (UN) drafted a document to serve as the global reference on the rights of all people, no matter their nationality, ethnicity, language, sex, religion or anything else. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt chaired the UN committee that wrote the document, and its 30 articles were accepted by member nations in 1948. The document is called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
This declaration didn’t have the force of law but served to define exactly what constitutes human rights anywhere in the world. Still, many people have never heard of it, much less understand how to use it. That’s where the human rights initiative comes in. They work with government officials, educators, religious leaders, nonprofit organizations, and citizens to bring about universal awareness of human rights.
People tend to take their human rights for granted or don’t even think about it, but there are human rights abuses happening throughout the world, far away and close to home. Today, about 50 million people live in modern slavery, and roughly a quarter of these are children. This is hard to grasp in our “civilized” society, but once you learn about it, it’s difficult to ignore. It’s easy to be apathetic about such things, but if there were a grassroots movement to empower people with knowledge of human rights, that’d be an essential first step. That’s what these programs are all about!
United for Human Rights sponsors the distribution of educator kits, in 17 languages, for teachers, clergy, military, civic, and governmental agencies to use to enlighten people on their human rights. Even the people doing the educating get educated! There’s a film called The Story of Human Rights which dramatically recounts the history and development of human rights, how their violation resulted in countless wars, and how only through human rights can a society prosper and thrive. A series of 30 public service announcements (PSAs) describes all 30 articles of the Universal Declaration, available online and in DVD form. Honestly, seeing all 30 of these videos plays out like watching a 30-part movie where the result is a heightened awareness and sense of responsibility for the human race.
Youth for Human Rights International works to educate young people all over the world. If you want a civilized society, now and in the future, you must reach the youth – the future decision-makers, lawmakers, and leaders! This arm of the initiative reaches youth in 150 countries with all the materials and videos I mentioned earlier, plus a music video called UNITED, educational booklets, and online resources in 17 languages. Since 2004, Youth for Human Rights has conducted its annual World Tour, presenting the program to national leaders and building partnerships with governments and NGOs (non-governmental organizations). In total, the tour has traveled over 385,000 miles in 70 nations, reaching over 10 million people.
It’s easy to feel completely powerless in our modern society. My approach to health is to start with the basics, and it’s similar to the health of our planet. Human rights are about as basic as you can get. People should know their human rights and how to exercise them.
Education, knowledge, wisdom – these are powerful forces. That’s why I support these programs!
LINKS:
https://www.scientology.org/how-we-help/human-rights/
https://www.youthforhumanrights.org/
FREE ONLINE COURSE:
You can learn about human rights and take a free online course.
Learn more here: https://www.humanrights.com/course/?ref=deb