Human Rights Education and Student Self-Conception in the Dominican Republic

In 2001, a 3-month course in human rights based on critical inquiry was offered to 8th graders in a slum area of Santo Domingo. The students' attitudes, behaviors and knowledge of human rights principles were measured before and after the course. The curriculum focused on international principles and entrenched local problems such as discrimination against Haitian migrants, police brutality, violence against women and exploitation of child labor in free trade zones. This paper will discuss the field of human rights education, the study's findings about the nature of student response to the course and its impact on student identity, solidarity with victims of human rights abuses and self-confidence as a result of human rights education. (Contains 1 figure, 1 table and 9 notes.)