Students grapple with human rights

Students grapple with human rights

BUDDING RGS lawyers swapped the classroom for the lecture theatre when they attended a human rights conference – and discovered that the world of law is anything but straightforward.

From the moment the 32 lower sixth form students arrived at Leeds Beckett University’s Law School they were challenged to think like lawyers as lecturers and the head of law introduced them to the fascinating - and often complicated - world of human rights.

Could they decide which rights can never be taken away? Which rights can be restricted in certain situations? And which require a delicate balancing act between individual freedoms and the needs of society?

It sounds simple… but it certainly wasn’t!

Students were tasked with sorting a range of issues into three categories: absolute rights, limited rights and qualified rights. The debates were lively as they quickly realised there are no easy answers when it comes to making decisions that affect people’s lives.

The challenge intensified in the afternoon as students investigated a real-life legal case involving a bakery in Northern Ireland that refused to serve a customer because of religious beliefs.

Working in teams, they had to decide which human rights may have been infringed and grapple with one of the biggest questions in law: where do legality and morality meet - and where do they differ?

The day proved to be both eye-opening and inspiring, giving students a genuine taste of university-level study while developing their critical thinking, communication and analytical skills.

Neve Dowding Dykes said:

“I came on this trip to broaden my knowledge about human rights and the legal system, and I found it incredibly interesting and relevant.”

Francesca Lindsay added:

“I really enjoyed that we were able to apply our knowledge and understanding about different rights and their categories, taught in the mini lecture, to real-life cases and come to an overall judgement.”

Liliana Bilor said:

“I had a fantastic time at the Human Rights Conference, and my favourite part was the case study activity as it truly demonstrated the difficulties of weighing up different rights against each other and the struggle of separating legality and morality.”

By the end of the day, students left with a deeper understanding of human rights and a new appreciation for the complex decisions lawyers face every day.

Students grapple with human rights