Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Writing Contest Guidelines

United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Simplified Version
This simplified version of the 30 Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been created especially for young people.
1. We Are All Born Free & Equal. We are all born free. We all have our own thoughts and ideas. We should all be treated in the same way.

2. Don’t Discriminate. These rights belong to everybody, whatever our differences.

3. The Right to Life. We all have the right to life, and to live in freedom and safety.

4. No Slavery. Nobody has any right to make us a slave. We cannot make anyone our slave.

5. No Torture. Nobody has any right to hurt us or to torture us.

6. You Have Rights No Matter Where You Go. I am a person just like you!

7. We’re All Equal Before the Law. The law is the same for everyone. It must treat us all fairly.

8. Your Human Rights Are Protected by Law. We can all ask for the law to help us when we are not treated fairly.

9. No Unfair Detainment. Nobody has the right to put us in prison without good reason and keep us there, or to send us away from our country.

10. The Right to Trial. If we are put on trial this should be in public. The people who try us should not let anyone tell them what to do.

11. We’re Always Innocent Till Proven Guilty. Nobody should be blamed for doing something until it is proven. When people say we did a bad thing we have the right to show it is not true.

12. The Right to Privacy. Nobody should try to harm our good name. Nobody has the right to come into our home, open our letters, or bother us or our family without a good reason.

13. Freedom to Move. We all have the right to go where we want in our own country and to travel as we wish.

14. The Right to Seek a Safe Place to Live. If we are frightened of being badly treated in our own country, we all have the right to run away to another country to be safe.

15. Right to a Nationality. We all have the right to belong to a country.




DSEA Human Rights Contest 2014

Eligibility: Contest is open to all Delaware public
school students in grades K-12.

Writing Contest
Theme: From Civil Rights to Human Rights
Students may use any form of writing to present
information on this year’s theme. This may include
writing about any historical or contemporary individual(
s), organization(s), issue(s), or event(s) that
have impacted human and civil rights.
Format: All entries must include an alphabetical
listing of works (internet sites, books, magazines,
etc.) researched as well as any works cited (please
use the MLA or APA style*) and – if appropriate –
parenthetical citations within the text of the paper
(e.g., title and page number). Double space and use
Times New Roman 12 point font.
It is not necessary to include “citations within the
text” for poems and dramas. Please include an
attached listing of all works researched – even if
they are not cited - for whatever type of writing that
is submitted.
American Psychological Association – www.
indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/apa_style.shtml
Eligibility: This contest is open to Delaware public
school students in grades 5 through 12. Entries not
meeting the format and eligibility requirements will
be disqualified.
Student Contest Information
Judging Criteria: Entries will be judged in each
of the eligible grade divisions. Relevancy to the
topic of this year’s contest will be a prime factor
for judging. The judges will also look at logical
organization of material and accuracy with an
emphasis on creativity. The Delaware State
Writing Standards will apply in the Writing
Contest, as well as in all other contest categories
that contain written documentation.
Judges: The contest judges are members of the
Association, both active and retired.
Deadline: All entries must be received by 4 p.m,
March 7, 2014 at one of the DSEA offices listed
on the registration form.
Awards in each division (K-4, 5-8, 9-12):
1st Place: $50 gift card and award
2nd Place: $30 gift card and award
3rd Place: $20 gift card and award
Presentation of Awards:
Human and Civil Rights Awards Dinner
May 20, 2014
5-8 pm
Dover Downs Hotel
1131 N. DuPont Hwy.
Dover, DE 19901
All entrants will be notified of the winners in
early April.
Purpose
Martin Luther King, Jr. left us a legacy of peaceful
protest for economic justice for all and the end of
racial segregation. This contest is designed to
increase students’ knowledge of how diverse groups
working together can impact human and civil rights
and enhance the quality of life for everyone in our
diverse society.