We want to celebrate Coventry’s global place as a City of Peace and Reconciliation, welcoming people of all cultures from all over the world.

But peace is much more than just the absence of war. People cannot live in peace if they are deprived of their fundamental human rights.

We are lucky in this country that the government normally respects human rights, and if they don’t there are courts that can make sure they do. But this is not true for many other countries.

We think children need to know more about what human rights are:

“Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.”

Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 26 part 2

That is why we have chosen Human Rights as the theme for Coventry & Warwickshire Children’s Peace Poem 2020.

What are Human Rights?

See these pages to find out:

Inspiration

You probably already have many ideas, here are some more, why not read:

The colour of home by Mary Hoffman
For every child by Caroline Castle
Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela abridged by Chris Van Wyk
My Name is Not Refugee by Kate Milner
We Are All Born Free by Amnesty International