Tenth Annual Youth for Human Rights World Educational Tour to visit seven countries to promote human rights

More than 200 people gathered at the pavilion of the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre International in Hollywood, California, January 28 to launch the 10th Annual Youth for Human Rights International World Educational Tour.

Dr. Mary Shuttleworth, President of Youth for Human Rights International, has organized the tours for a decade to meet with leaders in countries around the world who have the power and vision to accomplish the purpose of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Declaration proclaims that all peoples and nations should “strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance….”

“Nothing will ever replace meeting people face-to-face in their own countries,” says Shuttleworth. “You see first-hand both the stark realities and the inspiring accomplishments.”

Bringing human rights education to generations of future leaders has never been more relevant than it is today: according to Amnesty International, major human rights violations are committed in 160 countries including an estimated 1.5 million primary school-aged children trafficked into slavery each year.

Speakers at the sendoff event for the Youth for Human Rights International World Educational Tour included Irving Sarnoff, Founder of Friends of the United Nations and Kevin Kaul, Founder of Global Peace Through Global Trade.

Those attending enjoyed a montage of artistic performances of a broad range of genres and cultures including a traditional Japanese dance by Shina Takemoto, Kenji Yamaguchi and Risa Tadokoro; a Greek song by Sofia Keramari; a Spanish folkloric performance by Elsie Campos; an Argentinean tango sung by Nando Ventura; and performances by award-winning jazz and blues artist Izzy Chait, actor and singer Johnny Ferretti, and the Scientology Choir.

Dr. Shuttleworth and Youth for Human Rights volunteer videographer Kevin Garrison will visit seven countries to promote human rights education: Mexico, Jamaica, Switzerland, Russia, India, Taiwan and South Africa.

The purpose of the Youth for Human Rights International World Educational Tours is to bring human rights education to all parts of the world and to achieve the purpose of Youth for Human Rights: “To teach youth around the world their human rights, specifically the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, thus helping them to become advocates for tolerance and peace.”

The Church of Scientology has published a new brochure, Scientology: How We Help—United for Human Rights: Making Human Rights a Global Reality, to meet requests for more information about the human rights education and awareness initiative it supports. To learn more, visit Scientology.org/HumanRights.

Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote, “Human rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream,” and the Scientology religion is based on the principles of human rights. The Code of a Scientologist calls on all members of the religion to dedicate themselves “to support true humanitarian endeavors in the fields of human rights.”

Scientologists on five continents engage in collaborative efforts with government agencies and nongovernmental organizations to bring about broad-scale awareness and implementation of the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the world’s premier human rights document.