Today saw the launch of the programme for the 2014 Northern Ireland Human Rights Festival (NIHRF). The festival, which will take place from 8-13 December, consists of a series of events on a range of human rights issues from home and abroad in celebration of International Human Rights Day on 10 December .
All events are open to the public and the majority are free. The festival is coordinated by the Human Rights Consortium, with individual events hosted by a wide range of charities, NGOs, colleges, trade unions, community groups and other organisations from across civil society.
This is the third year of the NIHRF and the 2014 programme covers topics and events as diverse as stand-up comedy by human rights activists, a Superhero Pub Quiz, to rights issues around the use of drones and restrictive libel laws. Other events remind us of discrimination groups in our society still face, whether women, the trans community, children and young people or Travellers, while others look at struggles beyond our shores, for Congolese women, campesinos in Peru, and others whether in Rwanda, Kenya or the Golan.
Through a series of dystopian films the public can explore alternative futures where human rights are absent, in turn reminding us just how crucial the rights we enjoy are, but also how much we need to continue to defend them. There really is something for everyone– even for those little human rights activists of the future, through a family fun day in the Cathedral Quarter on the final day of the festival.
In launching the programme, Fiona McCausland, Chairperson of the Human Rights Consortium which coordinates the festival said:
“In this third year of the festival we continue to be delighted by the passion and commitment to human rights among the wealth of contributors to this year’s programme.
The festival hopes to showcase the simple truth that, at their core, human rights are about the recognition and defence of the inherent dignity of each individual human being.”
For full listings, information on the individual events and a downloadable programme, please check out the NIHRF website: http://www.humanrightsfestivalni.com/
Information is also available on our Facebook (/NIHRF) and Twitter (@nihrf), so please get liking, sharing and tweeting!