Rights of Passage - 2005 competition
HumanWrites
Maybe you've always been interested in human rights. You've been to rallies or gone to hear people speak about different issues. What is the most important thing you have seen or done?
Maybe you had never thought about human rights until you saw or heard about something which changed the way you feel? What was this event? How did it make you feel?
Maybe you didn't always live in Australia, and you're aware of differences between here and other countries in terms of the rights we enjoy? What is different about Australia? What have you seen?
Conducted as a part of the 'national dialogue' with young people and human rights, the 'Human Writes' essay competition asked young people aged between 10 and 18 to write a personal essay that expressed their thoughts and feelings about human rights.
The response was overwhelming with entries submitted from every state and territory in the country. It's clear from the mature and thoughtful responses we received that young Australians have a very diverse understanding of human rights. Common issues of concern were racism, poverty, war and the plight of refugees both here and overseas. There was also a noticeable appreciation of the rights that you enjoy in Australia in comparison with other countries.
With entries of such a high standard it has taken some time, but a shortlist of essays was selected based on their originality, personal opinion and how creatively they engaged with the idea of human rights. From this list, a panel including Dr Sev Ozdowski, the Human Rights Commissioner, staff from Public Affairs and the Human Rights Unit at the Commission chose the winning entries. The winners were announced at the launch of the publication Rights of Passage: A Dialogue with Young Australians about Human Rights on 29 November 2005.
The winner of the Junior Section (10-14years) is Jessica Bloom with her essay "The sins of the father ", a realistic and considered look at the divides that remain after apartheid has ended in South Africa.
The winner of the Senior Section (15-18 years) is Marissa Santikarn with A rude awakening, an optimistic essay that charts the development of Marissa's social consciousness after reading about genocide in Rwanda.
The runner-up in the Junior Section is Eva Cheng with Child Labour, which looks at the rights children should have, and the contrast that exist between what Eva and her friends enjoy and the situation of children in less fortunate circumstances.
The runner-up in the Senior Section is Jane Rich with her essay Eradicating global poverty. This essay brings together images from Jane's visit to Malawi. Her vivid recollections of the people that she met put a personal face to a public struggle.
Both of our winners received an iPod Mini and the runners-up were both given a $50 CD gift voucher. Congratulations to all of our winners.
Below are all of the shortlisted entries, including the winning essays. We'd like to thank all of you for sharing your personal experiences and opinions with us.
Shortlist - Junior essay (10-14)
- "The sins of the fathers " By Jessica Bloom, 14, NSW WINNER
- Child Labour By Eva Cheng, 13, NSW RUNNER-UP
- That morning By Emily Webb-Smith, 13, WA
- That morning is a powerful and moving piece about the tragedy of domestic violence and the people whose lives it destroys.
- Children in detention By Amanda Milios, 12, NSW
- Children in detention charts Amanda's reaction to an incident which saw 2 children removed from their school and placed in a detention centre.
- Refugees By Margaret Brown, 12, ACT
- argaret's essay examines the idea of refugees as people who have fled persecution and war, rather than simply 'illegal immigrants'.
- Children in immigration detention By Jenny Taylor , 14, VIC
- Children in immigration detention is an exasperated plea for things to change for the children that are held in detention centres.
- The silent war By Esha Anura, 13, NSW
- The silent war charts the personal claim that ongoing civil conflict has on its citizens despite being out of the international eye.
- Human Rights By Aarushi Sahore, 13, NSW
- Aarushi's essay is a mature narration of what human rights mean to her and how the idea integrates into everyday life.
- Homeless people By Jane Machart , 10, NSW
- Homeless people questions why more isn't being done by all of us to address this ongoing issue.
- What western civilisations have built has eroded the Indigenous people's basic human rights By Julia Huntley, 14 WA
- Julia's essay is a thoughtful discussion about the cultural and environmental damage that Indigenous people face, not only in Australia.
Shortlist - Senior Essay (15-18)
- A rude awakening By Marissa Santikarn, 16, VIC WINNER
- Eradicating global poverty By Jane Rich, 17, NSW RUNNER-UP
- An unforgettable journey By Mina Hussaini, 17, VIC
- Is it going to be alright? By Robert Hortle, 16, TAS
- Is it going to be alright? is an original piece where Robert airs his opinion on discrimination to a member of parliament, in letter, opposing recent comments that they made.
- Human Rights & Equal Opportunity - Age Discrimination By Lauren Pinataro, 17, SA
- Age Discrimination charts the dispiriting experience of looking for work as an early school-leaver. Lauren's essay retains a unique sense of optimism despite the barriers she has faced.
- For we are young and free By Courtney Jones, 16, TAS
- Courtney's essay For we are young and free is an eloquent observation of the nature of tolerance in contemporary Australian society.
- Women and rape By Ellen Ferrington Michaelis, 18, NSW
- Ellen's essay Women and rape is a mature and thought-provoking examination of rape as a human rights abuse.
