Letter From A Catholic Teacher: Avoid “Rights Respecting Schools” Award…
Why Catholic schools should have nothing to do with
UNICEF’s Rights Respecting Schools Award
Dear Editor,
On the face of it, the aims of the Rights Respecting Schools Award appear noble and worthwhile. Who could argue with the aim of creating safe and inspiring schools, where children are respected and nurtured?
By issuing the coveted award of being a ‘rights respecting school’, UNICEF evaluates how well schools have implemented the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child within the school and beyond. Obtaining this award usually takes three to four years of work and schools must submit evidence on knowledge and understanding of children’s rights, ethos and relationships, and the empowerment of children and young people. It requires all staff and pupils to be heavily invested in the programme. Despite what may seem a daunting and all-encompassing process, the Rights Respecting Schools Award is highly sought after, with over 5,000 schools across the UK, including a significant number of Catholic schools, currently involved in the scheme.
Through the Rights Respecting Schools Award, children and young people across the country undertake extensive learning about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and their rights. There are 54 articles of the Convention, the first 42 of which aim to influence the experiences of every child and young person from birth to 18 years old.
The UNCRC is based on four broad principles:
- Equality: the UNCRC applies to all children (Article 2)
- The best interests of the child must be a priority (Article 3)
- Every child has the right to life, survival and opportunities to develop to their full potential (Article 6)
- Every child has a right to be heard and listened to in matters that affect them (Article 12).
Recently, the Scottish Government unanimously passed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scot’s law. While almost every country in the world have signed up to the UNCRC, Scotland is the first country to actually make the Convention law.
While this would appear to be good news for Scotland and its children, scratch below the surface and a sinister side emerges. All is not what is seems and the UN appear to have some warped interpretations of children’s rights. Take article 6 which states that every child has the inherent right to life and that governments must do all they can to ensure children survive and develop to their full potential. Unfortunately, according to the Committee 
on the Rights of the Child, which monitors the implementation of the UNCRC, this right does not extend to children in the womb.
Reporting on their latest visit to the UK in 2016, the Committee lamented that, in Northern Ireland, abortion is illegal, and gave the following recommendation:
“Decriminalize abortion in Northern Ireland in all circumstances and review its legislation with a view to ensuring girls’ access to safe abortion and post-abortion care services. The views of the child should always be heard and respected in abortion decisions.”
In other words, the UK is failing to adhere to the UNCRC because abortion is not legal in all parts of the country. The killing of unborn children must be allowed in order to promote the rights of children.
The Committee had similar advice for the Holy See when they inspected the Vatican City in 2014, stating, “The commission urges the Holy See to review its position on abortion”.
It is clear that the UN interprets the UNRCR as meaning that countries must facilitate the killing of unborn children. Surely this would be the exact opposite of what is stated in article 6.
In addition to this, there has been what some may view as anti-religious undertones associated with implementation of the UNCRC. For example, the Committee raised the following concern after its most recent UK visit:
“The Committee is concerned that pupils are required by law to take part in a daily religious worship which is ‘wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character’ in publicly funded schools in England and Wales, and that children do not have the right to withdraw from such worship without parental permission before entering the sixth form. In Northern Ireland and Scotland, children do not have right to withdraw from collective worship without parental permission.”
Why the Committee is so concerned about children having to take part in worship but not about them having to take part in say maths or reading lessons is not explained. Later in the same report the Committee recommends that schools in Northern Ireland ‘promote a fully integrated education system’, which makes one wonder if the issue here is actually with Northern Ireland’s Catholic schools.
There have been further recent controversies with the publication of a UNICEF discussion paper appearing to argue that blocking children from watching pornography violates their human rights. In their paper titled, “Digital Age Assurance Tools and Children’s Rights Online across the Globe”, which has now been taken down, the UN agency argue that asking for age verification to access online pornography could deny children access to ‘vital sexuality education.’ They also cite a study which found that ‘in most countries, most children who saw sexual images online were neither upset nor happy’ and concluded that some children ‘intentionally seek out sexual content’ for a variety of reasons and that viewing sexual images ‘might also represent an opportunity’ to give answers to questions regarding puberty and sexual identity. With this in mind, Catholic schools should carefully consider how much influence UNICEF should be given to promote its message in their schools.
There are other issues with promoting the UNCRC in Catholic schools. These rights often come to be viewed as being the cornerstone of a school’s values and moral vision. But the Catholic ethos of charity, helping others and being a moral citizen are lacking. Catholic schools have a duty to ensure that the programmes they participate in reflect the mission and values of the Catholic Church. Our schools already take care to avoid charities (like Oxfam) that do not respect the dignity of human life from conception to natural death, and therefore do not participate in the likes of red nose day or comic relief.
The UN is imposing an extremely warped vision of children’s rights on the world. Worst of all they are unapologetically, even aggressively pro-abortion. Leaders in Catholic education should be urged to have nothing to do with them.
Name Withheld
Catholic Teacher in Scotland
Comment:
The above teacher is still in post and expressed willingness to be identified, with name and location published, but I felt I had to sound a warning note because while it would be great to be able to identify Catholics in the professions who reveal various scandals, the reality for those individuals can be life-changing. Teachers have been demoted and even forced out of post after being “exposed” as not being fully signed up to the modernist agenda. So, sincere thanks to this teacher for that courageous willingness to be identified, but the Nanny-Blog-Administrator knows best 😀
The letter speaks for itself; the only thing that I would add is this: why is it, that those in charge of importing and implementing various programmes into Catholic schools – both at diocesan and school level – are still not alert to the dangerous influences seeking admission to Catholic schools, especially those emanating from the United Nations? Are Catholic schools now, in fact, secular in all but name?
All opinions welcome, of course, but we’d especially like to hear from those of you with recent or current experience of the schools, whether as a teacher, pupil, parent or grandparent. Let’s hear it!
Comments (37)
No one who is the slightest bit committed to preserving Western Civilization should have anything to do with UNICEF, and in fact should actively resist them. Their agenda, like all the other UN tentacles, is to destroy the family by destroying the authority of parents as they bestow “rights” on children. It is the old Communist trick of turning children against their parents, dressed up in a humanitarian cloak with vague bureaucratic language….that can be interpreted as desired by those in power (sound familiar?)
One of the major scams here in the US is on Hallowe’en, where little boxes are distributed to children – through schools and churches – so they can “trick or treat for UNICEF.”
Here is a podcast (transcript below it) outlining what’s behind the UN/UNICEF curtain:
https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/08/17/how-the-united-nations-promotes-an-anti-family-agenda/
RCA Victor,
I visited your link and was astounded to read the very first paragraph – before even listening to the podcast – the whole agenda is right there. Quote:
Kimberly Ells arrived at the United Nations excited to engage in work to strengthen families around the world. What she found was an agenda to dismantle the traditional family, promote sexuality to children, and reduce parenthood to a burdensome civil construct.
So, definitely everyone should avoid anything to do with the UN.
The teacher’s letter is excellent and we are blessed to have teachers like that who are aware of these dangerous programmes, not afraid to speak out. I just wish more would do the same – if only one person speaks out, that can be dismissed as a “lone wolf” or an eccentric, but if a couple or more do so, then it’s not so easy to write them off.
MM,
I agree about there being safety in numbers. Otherwise, the brave person who speaks out can be persecuted – and this has happened to a number of teachers, and not just for speaking out. Even simply teaching the Faith and what we refer to as “Catholic morality” (whereas it’s not specifically Catholic at all) can see a teacher forced out of post.
Editor,
TBH, I would not have published the teacher’s name, unless a pseudonym.
RCA Victor,
“Trick or treat for UNICEF” – WOW! That’s incredible. They are truly determined to take away what’s left of childhood innocence. Utterly evil.
RCA Victor,
That podcast spells out just how evil the United Nations is. Ellis says that the UN doesn’t hide its aim to be the new world governing body – one world government – but I don’t think a lot of people realise that. It’s why their agenda is focused so much on children – getting control away from the family unit and into their hands, and doing this by instilling into children that they have “rights” even over their parents’ rights, is abominable.
I hope everyone either listens to that excellent podcast or reads the transcript below it. Everyone should be on their guard when they see UN or UNICEF. It’s one very dangerous organisation.
Editor,
The answer to the question in the intro – why are school and diocesan authorities not alert to the dangerous influences coming to young people via the schools – has to be that the authorities are now so steeped in the things of this world that they have become desensitized to values like purity and the importance of Catholic life. The post-Vatican II years have brought decimation to the Church. In some places, it’s almost extinct. The schools and the parishes are completely secularised. I know from my own conversations with young Catholics who attend Catholic schools that they can tell me about what Moslems believe, but flounder when asked a question a question about Catholic dogma. You see them marching around church, not genuflecting towards the Tabernacle, and so on. It’s a real tragedy.
All the more kudos to this teacher for writing that letter and trying to get some publicity about this, to alert people. Parents need to be vigilant and not assume that Catholic schools are doing a good job. They’re really not, although there will always be exceptions, and good teachers like this one, who try to protect their students from bad actors.
It is really very worrying that this “rights for children” agenda is being supported by Catholic schools – it really does show a complete ignorance about what the UN is really all about.
Josephine,
Yes, it really IS worrying that Catholic schools are actually co-operating in this evil UNICEF programme – it seems that most people do not look into things, to check out what these programmes actually represent. It’s always easier just to go along to get along. Sadly.
The lack of sound preaching and teaching in the Church this past 50+ years has led to this situation where the majority of Catholics don’t actually know the Faith themselves, let alone sufficiently to pass it on to the younger generations. And so, there are too many teachers and parents – priests even – who do not recognise the dangers inherent in programmes such as this UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Award. They see it only as something that will motivate pupils to achieve an award for the school… Keep them busy… DUH!
Verbiage galore as in all of their documents. Modernist language to cover their true intent. God help us!! Good information. Thank you.
A very good letter indeed from the in-post teacher – everything he/she writes is evidence of the evil being aimed at children even in Catholic schools. It’s a disgrace.
I was particularly taken at the piece in bold about religious worship. Anyone who knows anything about schools these days knows that the “worship” is usually a short mention of religion or a prayer in assembly. It’s no big deal, yet even that nod to religion is too much for the pagans in charge of the United Nations.
The other key thing for me, was the bit about porn and sex education. These are people who are determined to poison the minds and souls of children and I am truly disgusted that the people in charge of Catholic education don’t see that. It says a lot about the state of their own souls that they have fallen for this “award” hook, line and sinker. Yet again, this is an example of the dereliction of duty by the bishops who are responsible for everything in their diocese.
Nicky,
The thing is, the assemblies are not particularly Christian, and often feature non-Christian religions. The non-Christian feasts are marked and assemblies are used to drive home anti-racism ideas., They are very “inclusive”, so the concerns about religious worship are a red herring. I think the real aim is to end the Catholic school system, but we have to admit that the Church in Scotland is doing a great job of that without any help from government or international agencies like the UN. LOL!
The teachers who are signing up to this award, are like turkeys voting for Christmas. In the end, their jobs will be on the line, because it’s obvious that the real aim is to end the separate system of Catholic school education.
It’s worse than that. (He’s dead, Jim.)
The UNCRC has been incorporated into Scots Law. That was in March this year, subject to Royal Assent.
As well as the dangers of allowing Education Authorities around the country to interfere in the schools’ curricula, requiring certain content and blocking others, there is another danger.
This legislation will allow Councils to take children away from their parents, in the interests of the children, naturally.
We have already seen councils taking children away from their homes for a number of spurious reasons, including the parental political views, “occult practices”. and the like. Now Councils will have incontestable and universal powers to do this.
My view is a simple one. There is no such thing as “human rights”, only privilege and responsibility.
The “notion” of “human rights was dreamed up by some blokes from the UN in New York. On a very cool damp Tuesday evening in December 1946 they were in a hotel room. They had been drinking and playing poker. They were bored. They decided to have some fun by making up the daftest, silliest spoof “charter” imaginable and introduce it to the General Assembly of the UN, while trying to keep their faces straight.
They went ahead with it and the rest is history.
https://www.gov.scot/policies/human-rights/childrens-rights/
Antoine Bisset,
I couldn’t tell if you were joking, but the UN charter was written by 3 Communists, including the American traitor Alger Hiss:
“The Charter’s main authors were Americans Alger Hiss and Leo Pasvolsky and the Soviet Union’s Vyacheslav Molotov. Hiss was a secret communist and a member of the world-government-promoting Council on Foreign Relations. Pasvolsky was also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. And Molotov was an official of the murderous Soviet Union whose criminal leaders expected the United Nations to bring about a communist-controlled world.”
https://fourhorsemen66.com/2018/11/29/three-communists-from-the-ussr-authored-the-united-nations-charter-in-1945-hiss-pasvolsky-and-molotov/
RCA Victor,
Looks like the UN is well on the way to bringing about that Communist-controlled world – and the President of China has made clear this week that nobody, but nobody is going to stand in the way of that Communist-controlled world. It’s just a pity that the Catholic schools are not preparing pupils by teaching them the evils of Communism. At least the Governor of Florida gets it – I saw a headline earlier this week where he said exactly that – that children in schools must be taught about the evils of Communism.
Well, I was joking. I made that story up. However, same difference. There cannot be “human” rights separate from the links that we have to God. He has given us life, and the world. It is up to us to be worthy of that gift, of His promise that the gift embodies, and to protect the world and everything in it.
Teachers have to remain anonymous – there’s the “catch all” for getting rid of staff which is to charge them with “bringing the school into disrepute.” So, I’m glad this teacher is being protected. It takes courage to speak out even anonymously, and teachers who are right-thinking about this sort of thing won’t be any use if they’re not in the classroom to begin with – at least they can do something to mitigate the damage of this award.
To the teacher who wrote the above letter, I say, well done, you!
Scots Teacher,
While I agree with you about the need for anonymity, there’s a strange irony in the fact that schools are expected to prepare pupils to go out into the world and challenge, without fear or favour, when they see wrongs which must be righted. Supposedly, pupils are being prepared to speak out, and not to worry about standing out from the crowd, being different etc. They should be ready to speak “truth to power” as the saying goes…
Rich irony indeed, when their teachers cannot do the same!
Editor,
A very rich irony, indeed – I agree.
As soon as Catholic schools started to take government money they made a deal with the devil. Satan’s influence in Catholic schools is now visible everywhere and there is insufficient Catholic faith in most of the teachers to recognise it, much less challenge it.
The teacher who wrote this letter is clearly an exception to the general rule, a person evidently graced by God and strong in the faith. Sadly, though, the Catholic schools are like the Catholic hierarchy and most of the Catholic clergy now, i.e., Catholic in name only! They have simply lost the faith and have abandoned Catholic youth to the wolves. You just have to look at the way young girls are dressed in Catholic schools today to realise just how great the betrayal is. Woe betide every Catholic bishop, priest, teacher and parent who has been indifferent to the spoilation of youth, their judgement will be severe and eternal. “Woe to those who scandalise one of these little ones of mine…”, said Our Blessed Lord!
Athanasius the Millstone Producer must be really hard at work Especially since this New Millennium came in . I just pray to God and Hope He has not one Prepared for me . I actually looked up LSNews and their is now an Article about some young ( I can’t call Him a Man as He’s Non Winery ) They as it prefers to be called who is Now a Transgender Transracial It . It has had 18 Plastic Surgeries to make it Happy with Its Body and Its now Officially a Transgender Transracial It who identifies as a Korean Non Winery It or They or some Garbage. Of Course It doesn’t want anything to Do with North Korea which I find Hilarious, as am sure Kim Jong Un would welcome It with open arms, wouldn’t He ?
FOOF
Yes, the millstone procucer will be hard at work. The question is: Are there sufficient deep waters?
I agree, there are a few exceptions to the rule and this teacher is obviously one of them, but, for the most part, the staff in Catholic schools wouldn’t get through the vetting process if they were fully believing Catholics.
The point about dress is very important. The girls coming out of the local Catholic school where I live, have skirts that you can hardly see below their blazers. Usually it’s the girls with massive, fat thighs who wear them, too. Talk about “seeing ourselves as ithers see us”. I don’t suppose they do Rabbie Burns these days, LOL!
At one time, teaching about modesty in dress was an integral part of Catholic education, linked to teaching about how to protect our purity. The problem is that these days they don’t want to protect purity, just stop babies arriving, so where we got warned about dressing modestly, they get warned about not forgetting to take the pill. It’s a disgraceful state of affairs and not for the first time I find myself asking why do we bother to keep the Catholic school system going. It really is pointless, for the most part.
Well folks,
I’ve just come across this video of Pope Francis: when there is this level of indifferentism coming from the very top of the house, is it any surprise that Catholic schools and the majority of Catholics therein, are CINOs – Catholics in name only?
That is a classic example of the problem facing all Catholics today, but especially teachers and good priests who want to preach the faith “entire and true” as the hymn goes. How can we do that, teach or preach about the Catholic Church as the one ark of salvation when we have the pope saying the opposite?
Teaching in a Catholic school today is “mission impossible” if the mission is to teach the Catholic faith. Sorry, if that is bursting some people’s bubbles, but that is the fact of the matter.
That video of Pope Francis making a fool of himself and the Church’s teaching at the same time, is proof positive that Catholic teachers just cannot reach the faith without risking being reprimanded if not sacked. Francis is the enemy within – there’s nothing more to say until he’s gone, and I’m praying that it will be soon. He likes Lutherans who practice the “true faith of Jesus” – if they were doing that, they’d be Catholics! Is this man for real?
We need to remember that this same pope told Catholics to “obey” the UN and other institutions like it. He’s a lost cause. He’d have no problem with these children’s rights, scandalous as that is.
I just wish us lay Catholics had the right to do a recall – get him out of office and another pope (preferably Archbishop Vigano) installed.
Editor
What was of particular note at the end of that ecumenical gathering was Francis’ repeating the old Modernist heresy that it’s not what divides us that we should focus on but rather what unites us – namely, “that we are all Christians”.
His Traditional predecessors utterly condemned that mindset!
Athanasius,
That daft “it’s what unites, not what divides us that matters” really does irritate the socks off me…
https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/f2724cd2-adf2-41c4-a12f-7c2b5c1a6fdc_1.58e32c6b4b7c678c97edc7283beb8f54.jpeg
There are plenty of analogies to show how stupid is that statement but here’s one that springs to mind….
Imagine a newly convicted criminal in court, being addressed by the judge along the lines of, “Well, you are on one side of the law – having robbed and punched a pensioner who is struggling to recover in hospital – and I’m on the other side, where I have to pass sentence on people like you who break the law. I’m going to sentence you to fifteen years but let’s not dwell on what divides us; I understand that while you are locked in a tiny wee cell and eating awful food from a plastic plate, I’ll be relaxing in my 10 bed/5 bathroom bungalow in Bearsden, having my five course dinners cooked by my live-in chef… But let’s not dwell on what divides us. We’re both human, after all, and that’s what matters. Take him down!
Utter madness. It’s precisely what divides us that DOES matter, for goodness sake, I wonder where that ridiculous sentiment originated? Who, in common parlance, dreamt it up and foisted it on the unsuspecting public. It’s in the same league as that other stupid (and ungrammatical) fashion of beginning every sentence with “so” …
Question: What is the weather going to be like next week, do you know?
Answer: So, I think it might be sunny again or, on the other hand, it could rain.
Question: So, which would you prefer?
Answer: So, I think I would like more sun but with the occasional shower…
Gimme a break!
Editor
Can’t argue with common sense – and what you write is common sense.
Love the socks!
Av Zero respect for this Man ,and to most of us now on Here we know He is Not Nor Probably has Ever Been a Catholic. God Forgive Me if am wrong, but as far as am concerned now the Mans a Clown. Unfortunately He is to us a Dangerous Clown. The Best thing the Lutherans could do for us is to take Him back with them to Germany and Keep Him there ,Expenses and all . As for the U.N they are useless. Once the likes of St Greta takes the Chinese to task of Building 100s of Coal Fired Power Stations and the U.N take action al maybe respect them . As for now and for years they Have been a Godless Group and I don’t want them or their policies anywhere near Our Children. Unfortunately we have a Godless Government in the S.N.P who will go along with every Evil. And our so called Catholic Bishops won’t say anything against them either under the Orders of The Godfather. God Help Our Children.
The teacher is right, Catholic schools should teach Catholicism first and foremost, which originated from the Teacher of the Apostles and continues through the Pope and the Church. As in the Collegiality video the pope’s authority comes from the Holy Spirit, the bishops’ authority comes from the pope. There is nothing lacking in Catholicism, nothing needed from the UN or the other non-governmental, non-elected, one world powers. Clearly the Rights Respecting School program is a euphemism for destroying Catholic schools or any other institutions that stand in the way of the globalist agenda.
I watched the video ready to play, “Francis’s advocate,” but when it was over I was more worried and confused than anything! Were the Catholics in blue scarves and Lutherans in yellow? It seems like a silly symbolic gesture, right? Then is the Pope saying he is not fully Catholic by wearing both scarves? Or is he mocking everyone who is Catholic, or only everyone who is Lutheran, or both groups? If he wishes everyone to have a one-world religion, why not profess the universal Church? I don’t think he meant to mock anyone since garments are symbolic and he wears the cross, the white vestments and hat, so they must mean something to him? That’s all well and good, we are looking to a nice old man who wants everyone to be friends and everyone to go to heaven. But that is not what the Catholic Church is teaching: there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church! Then, it follows Pope Francis can only be promoting a one-world religion in the video.
Victor. Even the Anti Catholic actors in Hollywood, De Niro is one who Especially comes to Mind Dressed up well as Catholic Clergymen. Although I personally never watched it ( I did see Adverts for it ) Jude Law seems to have dressed up well as Pope .
I personally would not be Shocked or Surprised at anything this Man would come out with as it’s Scandal upon Scandal everyday now as far as Faithful Catholics are concerned. One thing ad like to ask though. Does anyone know Who Paid for this Little Get Together. Or is this the same time that He accepted that Horrible Statue of Luther into The Vatican.
In this article from Mass Resistance gives the idea how Official subverts whistleblowers. It is criminal sexualising young children.
https://www.massresistance.org/docs/gen4/21b/Ludlow-MA-middle-school/Officials-subvert-whistleblowers/index.html
N O T I C E . . .
Interrupting this discussion to post a request which has come in today, from a reader in Argyll and Bute. She asks me to send her message to as many as possible, so the quickest way for me to do that is to post it here, on the blog…
“Please could you keep a friend of mine in your prayers. Her name is Linda Thomson and she was taken into hospital on Thursday as she couldn’t breathe. They tried to raise her oxygen levels but they were not able to. They have put her in an induced coma for 3 weeks to put her on a ventilator. They are saying it’s covid. Her mother just lost her son to cancer in January. It’s just so awful. Linda has a daughter who is self-isolating and she is in bits as well as her mother. I’m praying to Our Lord Jesus Christ that He will heal her and bring her back to her daughter. Could you please send this to people you know who pray. Thank you so much.” Ends.
Our Lady of Lourdes, Health of the Sick, please intercede for Linda.
Editor
I will certainly pray for Linda’s recovery and for God’s comforting grace on her mother and sister at such a sad and worrying time.
It grieves me to hear that they have put Linda on a ventilator as this method is controversial. Had they given her Hydroxychloroquine or Ivermetcin she may well have been on the mend by now, but they have banned these known COVID cures in the UK and are using the ventilator method instead. That’s really hard to take. Still, let’s hope for God’s intervention in Linda’s case that she fully recovers and is restored to her family.
Thank you, Athanasius – I meant to respond to your request for prayers for your Aunt Philomena – be assured of a remembrance in mine.
Well, it seems the restrictions on marches have been lifted just in time for yesterday’s Orange Parade (and no doubt more to come) in Glasgow…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oL4_dTXG2s
I wonder what they’re teaching about “hate crime” in Scottish schools these days, she asked sarcastically…
I continue to hear from teachers concerned that they may be forced into working with this evil RRS scheme.
Please pray for them.
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