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Human Rights Summit in Cornwall
September 4, 2005
BBC: Young people from all over the world gathered in Tintagel at the Youth for Human Rights Summit in August 2005. The purpose of the event was to inspire them to promote human rights through the arts.
The youth summit welcomed hundreds of youngsters from as far as America, Africa and Switzerland to discuss their concerns over human rights issues.
The Youth for Human Rights International Summit was held at the end of August 2005 at Camelot Castle in north Cornwall. It was co-sponsored by the Church of Scientology, United Sikhs, World Assembly of Muslim Youth and Association of British Muslims.
Organisers of the event believe educating the young is the key to ensure humanitarian crises of the past are not repeated.
"The young people want to know about human rights and we adults have to give them the answers," says Mejindarpal Kaur, the director of United Sikhs.
"Just to raise questions in their mind will not help them, we need to let them know how, at a school level, they can make a difference through letter writing to governments of people who are abusing other people's rights."
"The London bombings made such a European conference on human rights more urgent," explains Mary Shuttleworth, The Director of Youth for Human Rights International.
"It's a necessity to have youth taught about the human rights we are all born with, and how to ensure that all people's rights are protected," she says.
One of the delegates, 13-year-old Jagdeep Kaur, found inspiration from Tintagel and the legend of King Arthur.
"King Arthur was young but he still managed to pull the sword out proving his strength," says Jagdeep.
"Being a child doesn't make a difference, we can bring about change."
Youth for Human Rights International was formed in 2001 as a project of the International Foundation for Human Rights and Tolerance.
The full article can be read online on BBC's website.
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