|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Key date
24 October
World Development Information Day |
|
|
|
49 Practical Activities and Methods for Human
Rights Education > Beware, we are watching! |
Beware, we are watching!
No one made a greater error than those who
did nothing because they could only do a little.
Themes |
Globalisation, Social
rights, Citizenship
|
Complexity |
Level 4 |
Group size |
Any |
Time |
150 minutes |
Overview |
In this activity, participants design a public awareness
campaign about the consequences of relocation by transnational
companies. |
Related rights |
- The right of everyone to the enjoyment of just and
favourable working conditions
The right to form trade unions
- The right to social security
|
Objectives |
- To analyse the consequences of the relocation of transnational
companies, locally and globally
- To promote human rights activism
- To encourage creativity and imagination
|
Materials |
- Sticky labels that people can make into campaign stickers/labels
- Large sheets of paper or flipchart paper for making
posters
- A4 size sheets of paper for making leaflets. (Coloured
paper optional)
- Tape and glue
- Coloured markers and pencils
- Scissors
- Newspapers, magazines, brochures and any other printed
material as sources of pictures.
|
Preparation |
- Make copies of the fact sheet and the campaign objectives,
one each per participan
|
Instructions
- Explain that this activity is about globalisation with particular
focus on the practice of relocation by transnational companies.
- Ask people what they already know about this topic and their
opinion about how it is covered in the media.
- Brainstorm what makes a good publicity campaign.
- Divide the group into small groups of 3 or 4 people.
- Quote the case of the Eastern European Clean Clothes Campaign
(EECCC) as an example of a campaign which is trying to inform
the public about the consequences of globalisation and hand
out the fact sheet.
- Set the scene for the activity. Tell the group that they
are to imagine that the NGO (non-governmental organisation),
The Eastern European Clean Clothes Campaign, has just received
a grant from the Council of Europe. Whereas previously, due
to funding problems, it had only been able to work on a small
scale in a very few countries, the board of directors of the
CCC have now decided to renew and expand the campaign Europe-wide.
The organisation wishes to hire the group as consultants.
- Distribute the campaign objectives (handout 2). Say that
the EECCC has asked you to transmit this basic information for
reference.
- Each small group is to design a proposal for the expansion
of the EECCC into their country. First they should draft a short,
outline proposal for the whole campaign. Then they should make
more detailed proposals of how to meet the first objective,
that is, to inform the general public. The detailed proposal
should include:
- a timetable for activities,
- a list of activities proposed (concerts, television
and radio programmes, street theatre, leafleting,
etc),
- places where the activities will take place (schools,
public buildings, etc),
- number of staff required,
- proofs of materials to be used (stickers, posters,
etc.)
|
- Emphasise that the proposal should be clear and concise.
Tell the participants that the NGO is open to any kind of proposal,
especially creative ones, but that they insist that the groups
meet the objectives as laid out in the objectives of the campaign
and justify their means of achieving them. Later, they will
be expected to present their proposals to representatives from
the NGO for recommendation to the EECCC board. For now, they
have 60 minutes to design the proposal.
- When the proposals are finished organise the presentations.
- Open the plenary for discussion.
Debriefing and evaluation
Start with a brief review of how the activity went. Ask each
group in turn to feedback about how they organised the tasks and
how they worked together. Was everyone involved? Did every one
feel that they participated? Then go on to discuss the issues
of globalisation and what people learned.
- What are the positive and negative impacts of relocating
a company? On local employment rates? On the national economy?
On the global economy?
- Do the workers have any real choice about accepting the conditions
of work they are offered, or not?
- Who is responsible for the situation?
- What can and should be done to educate the workers about
their rights?
- Are campaigns like the ones proposed useful? Why?
- What makes a good campaign?
- Do you think that institutions working in the field of the
protection of workers' rights, such as NGOs, Trade unions, United
Nations agencies, organisations leading anti-globalisation campaigns,
are making a difference?
Tips for facilitators |
|
|
|
|
You will find information about
the practice of relocation by transnational companies in the
background information to globalisation. Before you start this activity, check
if the EECCC or a similar organisation has branches in your country.
One of the objectives of this activity is to stimulate the creativity
of the participants. Thus, you should emphasise that they have
complete freedom to "invent" any kind of new campaign
strategies, always bearing in mind that they must meet the objectives
set up by the NGO.
At point 10 in the instructions, that is, when the groups present
their work, you could play the role of a member of the review
panel from the EECCC. However, it is recommended that, if possible,
you find other people from outside, who have not be involved in
the group work. This makes the activity more exciting and it provides
an opportunity to open up the discussion, especially if you can
invite someone from an NGO, who works on either globalisation
issues or is a campaigner.
If you can invite "experts" to visit, it is a good
idea to do the activity over two sessions. Use the first session
to make the campaign report and materials, and the second for
the discussion.
Suggestions for follow-up
Contact the EECCC and develop the work the group has started.
If the group wants to carry on the theme of social and labour
rights they could do the activity "Ashique's
story", which looks at the issue of child labour.
It is inspiring to learn about people who are doing something to make the world a better place. If the group would like to share their "Personal heroes" then they may like to do the activity with that title from the all different all equal education pack . |
|
|
Handouts |
|
1. Fact sheet: The Eastern European Clean Clothes Campaign
The Eastern European Clean Clothes
Campaign (EECCC) is a network that started in the Netherlands
in 1990, aimed at improving working conditions in the global
sportswear industry. There are now CCCs in approximately
10 Eastern European countries, where each CCC is a coalition
of consumer organisations, trade unions, human rights and
women's rights organisations, researchers, solidarity groups
and activists.
The major issues at the work
place are:
- Low remuneration
- Casualisation of labour
(no contracts, irregular working hours, forced and unpaid
overtime, etc.)
- Denial of the right
to organise (intimidation of workers' activists)
2. Campaign objectives
The objectives of the campaign
are to:
- Inform the general
public about what is happening in order to gain support
for the campaign
- Show through concrete
examples the impact of some of the consequences of globalisation
which violate human rights.
- Put pressure on the
companies to improve respect for the human rights of their
workers by disseminating information about their rights.
- Activate a network
of people, organisations and institutions that fight for
the same cause.
|
|
|
|