May 28 2020
NHRCK and Educational Community Pledge to Move Beyond Hate and Discrimination to Achieve Equality
-NHRCK and National Council of Governors of Education hold signing ceremony of joint declaration on countering hate speech-
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (Chairperson Young-ae Choi) and the National Council of Governors of Education announced on May 28 a joint declaration on promoting equality and countering hate speech to ensure respect for human rights at schools. Signatories to the joint declaration pledged to work towards building schools free of hatred and declaration, which enable all members of the educational community to embrace differences and diversity and cultivate and practice the spirit of tolerance and solidarity.
The declaration released today contains the following elements: 1) the principle of zero tolerance for hate speech; 2) assistance and cooperation to seek ways to deal with hate speech; 3) media literacy education and hate speech survey; and 4) cooperation on education on the prevention of hate speech and awareness-raising activities. Education offices of cities and provinces, which signed the joint declaration along with the NHRCK, will distribute ‘the guidance on achieving equality and countering hate speech in schools to ensure their respect for human rights’ to schools and continue their cooperation and support for effective implementation of the guidance on the ground.
It was decided that the signing ceremony would proceed in a virtual format, given that educational authorities take extra precautions to ensure the safety of students and teachers with schools gradually opening during the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, the NHRCK Chairperson visited the virtual meeting room of the Seoul Metropolitan Office to participate in a virtual signing ceremony with superintendents of all school districts nationwide.
“Anxiety and fears about coronavirus has sparked an outpouring of hatred and an escalation of tensions in many countries. This reminds us of the importance of raising awareness of this issue through education on anti-discrimination,” said Chairperson Choi. “Students should be able to learn the values of respecting and treating others equally at schools that promotes respect for human rights.”
“We should be cautious about unwittingly using hate speech,” said Chairperson Seung-hwan Kim of the National Council of Governors of Education. “We should work together to eradicate hate speech and encourage the use of respectful expressions in classrooms and students’ everyday lives.” Chairperson Kim further stated that education offices nationwide will review related regulations and actively support equality education and campaigns against hate speech.
The NHRCK and the National Council of Governors of Education hope that the joint declaration announced today will help strengthen our commitment to a just and equal society that respects everyone, just as reflections from different sectors of society create a new wave of hope even in the midst of hate and discrimination.
