Our vision is to spread knowledge about human rights to women,
men and children all over the world.
Knowing your basic human rights gives strength, courage and a sense that you are worthy of being taken seriously. This can change the lives of those who live under vulnerability and oppression. My Human Rights is a non-profit organization aimed at strengthening women, men and children's human rights worldwide. The association does this by disseminating knowledge of the UN Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the UN Convention on the Rights of the Women (1979) and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) in an innovative, educational and self-reinforcing way.
The vision is to give women, men and children all over the world the opportunity to own the knowledge of their human rights and support to assert it.
The association was founded in 2012 by Emma Wistrand and Carin Granlund Olsen in the belief that this can help change the world.
HISTORY – FROM THEN TO NOW
2006
Emma Wistrand is working on a mission to get more women to start a business and in this work develops a box with inspiration cards. The purpose of the cards is to empower women to dare to believe in themselves, their abilities and their capacity to take the step of becoming self-employed. The ambition of the inspiration cards, to strengthen the individual, is the basis of the idea that eventually landed in the association My Human Rights and the vision to spread knowledge about human rights through comprehensible and easily accessible information and educational materials.
2008
On 8 March, Sveriges Radio's correspondent Nils Horner will broadcast a report from a women's shelter in Afghanistan. He interviews Faria, who fled her home because her husband had dug a grave for her behind the house. The man intends to kill Faria, but the neighbors have time to warn. It is a strong report and Nils Horner notes that many women in Afghanistan do not know that they have human rights or value as human beings.
Emma Wistrand feels she has to do something. But what? The idea was born to combine the format of the inspiration cards with the text of the UN Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Women. The texts on the cards should reflect the meaning of the different articles, but in a way that allows them to be taken to their credit.
2009
A small working group is starting the production of what would be our first material 'My Human Rights'. Helena Lunding took on the task of illustrating all 61 cards representing all the rights-based articles of the UN Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Women. The lyrics were written by Ylva Björnström and Emma Wistrand. Carin Granlund Olsen was responsible for production. Jessica Stigsdotter Axberg made all the originals. The texts were fact-checked by a number of human rights experts. We contacted the then President of UN Women, Maud Edgren Schori, about cooperation on dissemination and printing. UN Women liked the idea and we started the work of applying for funding.
2010
Together with UN Women, My Human Rights is seeking funding from the Swedish Postcode Foundation and in September a positive announcement about funding will be received. The box "My Human Rights", will be ready, both in Swedish and English. Emma visits un women's headquarters in New York. They undertake to fact-check the cards and to write a letter of recommendation. Fortunately, the UN bookstore in New York is also bringing in the boxes for sale.
2011
On International Women's Day on 8 March, an opening will be held showing the material "My Human Rights" and several articles as canvas paintings. Meanwhile, the charity Hand in Hand receives 1,000 boxes for distribution in India. In the same spring, Olof Palme International Center funds translation and fact-checking of the material into Arabic. A major challenge in this work is the fact-checking, but my human rights is assisted by the Raul Wallenberg Institute in Jordan. In 2011, My Human Rights recorded all the articles for an audio installation for the human rights days in Kulturhuset. Lars Hässler, Lexter Ljuddesign and actors Katarina Bothén and Magnus Mark do all the work for free. This year, the next idea begins to sprout – a material based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
2012
The non-profit association My Human Rights is founded by Emma Wistrand and Carin Granlund Olsen. The work with the association, development and production of materials is done on a non-profit basis by the founders in addition to their regular work. Now the work on the material for the Convention on the Rights of the Child is also taking shape.
2013
My Human Rights produces the material "I am a child. I have rights." The articles are transformed into self-empowering and comprehensible messages by Emma Wistrand and Ingrid Sundquist. Kari Modén makes illustrations and form and Carin Granlund Olsen and Jessica Axberg are responsible for the production. The texts are fact-checked by experts and. Olivia Olsen translates to English. By the end of the year, all cards, tutorials and boxes are ready for printing. In the meantime, talks are taking place with Save the Children about cooperation and funding of print and dissemination.
2014
Save the Children becomes a partner to the material "I am a child. I have rights." On October 8, My Human Rights and Save the Children will launch the material at Wetterlings Gallery in Kungsträdgården in Stockholm. My Human Rights produces paintings and posters of all articles and cards. It's going to be a well-attended event.
2015
In collaboration with KNUT, Municipal Network for Development, a collaboration between the municipalities nynäshamn, Salem, Sundbyberg and Södertälje, we produce the material "Short about Children's Rights". The material is aimed at administrators of financial assistance within the Social Services and is a practical tool in their work. During the autumn, Sachsska Children's Hospital orders a self-profiled box "I am a child. I have rights." as a Christmas gift to all his associates.
2016
Hyper Island brings in My Human Rights as a project and presents an idea for a digital learning tool based on "I am a child. I have rights." The idea is being put on hold pending funding. On behalf of Save the Children, My Human Rights develops a coloring book, which is distributed during children's rights days at IKEA stores around the country. My Human Rights participates in the Nordic conference on childcare weight – NFBO. Materials receive good feedback from the participants, which gives new energy in the work. My Human Rights is starting to develop a guide aimed at people who work with the integration of newly arrived children.
2017
My Human Rights initiates a collaboration with the Prison Service and develops a training material. The material is used to give prison service employees basic knowledge of child rights issues based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child. My Human Rights meets with the Human Rights Strategic Communications Division at the United Nations in New York. Topics include digitising the cards and the opportunity to participate in the 70th anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights. The discussion continues with representatives from the External Outreach Service department of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva. More boxes are being delivered to the UN bookstore in New York. Meetings are held with the Children's Ombudsman and the UN Association on possible collaborations. My Human Rights is giving a talk together with KNUT at the human rights meeting in Jönköping. IKEA in Germany shows interest in the coloring book. My Human Rights meets representatives from the Police about cooperation based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
2018
The training material "Barnet's Rights" produced with the Prison Service will be ready. 300 children's representatives in the Prison Service and use the material in contact with colleagues, clients, parents and children. During the autumn, Human Rights will participate in a seminar on the theme "Children, Violence and Prisons" at the Human Rights Conference in Stockholm. Museums order materials for their stores. The UN bookstore in New York continues to order Arabic and English boxes. My Human Rights participates at hippiemarket and Bleck's Christmas market in Stockholm and sells boxes, posters and the newly produced t-shirt "This is what a feminist looks like". To make the humanities perspective visible, My Human RIghts brings out pins for the general election with the text "All people are equally worthwhile". These are sold in the stores Urban Deli and Butik Rot. My Human Rights is seeking funding to translate and digitize material. In collaboration with the MR Foundation, the idea of using My Human Rights pedagogy and concept for an educational material about Sweden's constitutions is also born – and the work continues.
2019
During this year, the focus is on seeking funding to digitize the material. In the work, My Human Rights is greatly assisted by Populate's CEO Ehsan Nasari. Help also comes from companies such as Burro Advisors, Folkungagatan, Knowit and Hansen Advokatbyrå.
In the spring, My Human Rights presents the idea of digitizing the material "I am a child. I have rights." for queen silvia's foundation Care About the Children. C.A.T.CH. In October, the C.A.T.C.H. announces that it is contributing SEK 200,000 to fund a feasibility study on digitalization. In May, My Human Rights applies for support for digitalisation at the General Inheritance Fund. After seven months, arvsfonden grants SEK 4.2 million to digitize the material. For the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in November, My Human Rights is producing a coloring book with a selection of articles from the Convention. This is also distributed digitally to all preschools and comprehensive schools. By the end of the year, the coloring book will also be distributed to selected target groups when the Convention on the Rights of the Child becomes law in Sweden. During the year, My Human Rights sells boxes and posters both in Sweden and abroad – and especially to the UN bookstore in New York.
2020
We are starting work on producing a digital learning platform on the UNCRC, which is possible thanks to support from the Swedish National Heritage Fund. First with the IT company Knowit and later with the IT agency Vinnovera. When the pandemic hits, the work comes to a partial halt. During the autumn, a number of workshops will be held to explore children's knowledge of their rights and their attitudes to digital learning materials. We start working with the Grundskolefotboll mot Rasismer (GFMR) movement, which is run by the City of Malmö and Malmö FF and operates in 30 schools in Malmö. "Give a red card to racism" is their overall message. They use our material "I am a child. I have rights" to teach and empower children about their rights.
In the context of understanding the scale of the pandemic and the anxiety and insecurity it creates in children, we are producing the film Doesn't it feel right? together with Knowit and disseminate it through social media. The aim is to show that children's rights are unconditional and always valid, but that they can easily be overlooked when a pandemic strikes. During the year, together with illustrator Kari Cialec Modén, we launch the new art concept "Rights matter". Art that communicates human rights. The first motif in the series "In memory" takes a stand for the equal value of all human beings, the fight against oppression and structural discrimination. On International Human Rights Day, 10 December, we are launching the second motif in the series - "The Paragraph".
2021
The development of the learning platform is at half speed during the first part of the year due to the pandemic. After a number of interviews with both children and professionals working with children, we come to the realisation that the learning platform should be designed as a game and not as a traditional digital textbook. Together with our IT agency, we develop a game concept based on our physical material "I am a child. I have rights." Texts will be written and illustrations will be developed gradually as the game develops. In the autumn, when the pandemic allows again, we will test again on children in middle school. In parallel, we are also testing the game on educators, counsellors and child rights strategists. The working name is The Children's Rights Game and it is now starting to take shape.
2022
The pandemic is finally over! At the beginning of the year, we have a test version of the Child Rights Game ready. We test the game at schools in Malmö and Vaxholm, change and further develop functions and content, and test again. We would like to thank Gustavo Nazar, children's rights strategist at the Primary School Administration in Malmö and project manager for Primary School Football Against Racism in Malmö, as well as students and teachers at Vaxö School in Vaxholm, Monjibouskolan and Värner Rydén School in Malmö who have been "test patrols" and helped us develop the game. Our collaboration with Grundskolefotboll mot rasismer in Malmö is deepening and we are participating in their kick-off with our material "I am a child. I have rights." and also have the opportunity to provide information about the game. The kick-off was attended by 230 children and teachers from 30 schools in Malmö. In November, we will exhibit our materials at the Human Rights Days in Örebro and present and demonstrate the Children's Rights Game, which is now finally starting to be completed. During the fall, we also start planning to produce a digital product of our educational material "My Human Rights" and have the privilege of becoming a free project on Changemaker Education's "Experience Designer" course. The students present amazing design ideas to spread the UN Declaration of Human Rights and the Women's Convention. Ideas that we take with us into 2023.