Protection of LGBTQ+ Rights and Gender Equality Education... Jo Hee-yeon's '2nd Comprehensive Student Human Rights Plan' Established

Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Finalizes 2nd Comprehensive Student Human Rights Plan
Support for Counseling on LGBTQ+ Student Rights Violations and Strengthened Gender Equality Monitoring
Human Rights Education to Improve Awareness and Eliminate Gender Discrimination
Survey on Discrimination and Hate, Production of Guidebook for Preventing Discriminatory and Hate Speech

Officials from the Seoul Youth Labor Rights Network held a press conference on January 25 in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education in Jongno-gu, Seoul, urging the promotion of the 2nd Comprehensive Student Rights Plan. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has established the '2nd Comprehensive Student Human Rights Plan.' Contents that sparked backlash from conservative groups, such as 'protection of minority students' rights,' including sexual minorities, and 'creating a gender-equal educational environment,' were fully reflected.

On the 1st, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education finalized the '2nd Comprehensive Student Human Rights Plan (2021?2023)' based on the Seoul Student Human Rights Ordinance. The Comprehensive Student Human Rights Plan was first established in 2012 based on the Student Human Rights Ordinance and is formulated every three years.

The vision of the 2nd Comprehensive Student Human Rights Plan is 'Seoul education where human rights are realized in everyday school life.' Its purpose is to guarantee students' rights as democratic citizens through the advocacy and promotion of human rights and to foster a human rights-friendly educational culture through the cultivation of human rights awareness.

The five major policy goals of this Comprehensive Student Human Rights Plan are ▲ ensuring safety and welfare for students' right to survival ▲ guaranteeing students' developmental and participatory rights as educational subjects ▲ strengthening human rights awareness and capabilities as democratic citizens ▲ enhancing human rights capacities of school members ▲ reinforcing advocacy and promotion of student human rights. It will be promoted through 10 policy directions and 20 tasks, including support for student human rights education to enhance democratic citizenship capabilities and human rights awareness in schools free from discrimination and hatred.

Although conservative and religious groups opposed the inclusion of 'protection of minority students' rights' in the 2nd Comprehensive Student Human Rights Plan, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education reflected the content without deletion. The plan includes sexual minority students in addition to students with disabilities and multicultural students within the scope of minority students. It contains provisions to support counseling for human rights violations such as discrimination or hatred against them and to strengthen gender equality monitoring of various educational materials and promotional items.

Human rights education to improve awareness of minorities will also be strengthened. Human rights education aimed at improving sexual awareness and eliminating gender discrimination will be conducted for students, faculty, and staff. To prevent discrimination, surveys on awareness of discriminatory and hateful expressions will also be conducted. Human rights awareness and the actual conditions of hatred will be investigated and analyzed, and prevention guides for discriminatory and hateful expressions will be produced and distributed.

As a gender-equal organizational culture spreads, to create a gender-equal educational environment, policy advice will be provided through the Gender Equality Committee within the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, and gender equality educational materials linked to the curriculum will be developed and distributed to activate gender equality education in schools.

Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, said, "With the more detailed Comprehensive Student Human Rights Plan established this time, we will ensure that the human rights of all students are realized in everyday school life," adding, "I hope that the 2nd Comprehensive Student Human Rights Plan will be an opportunity to take a step forward in enhancing the future human rights of our society by guaranteeing the human rights of students who are our present and future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.