While the US National Statistics will say the violent crimes are decreasing in public school, bullying, either as an act of verbal or physical abuse, is a problem that is not decreasing.

“Bullying at school is a pervasive problem that affects millions of students every year. Of those who were bullied, a subgroup also reported being physically injured (bruise, cut, bloody nose, etc.) by the bullying. Because bullying is so commonplace and ranges so widely in severity, its importance is often overlooked,” according to the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education.

“If students have a good understanding of human rights”, says Youth for Human Rights Florida President Dustin McGahee, “then they would understand that if you want your rights respected, then you have to respect the right of others. If student knew and practiced a few of these rights such as Human Right #1 We Are All Born Free and Equal, or Human Rights #2 No Discrimination, it would create a school environment with more tolerance. It is that simple.”

This message ties in with the message of the United Nations theme for the International Year of the Youth, “Dialogue and Mutual Understanding.” In the spirit of the International Year of Youth, McGahee is stepping up his work, and hopes to take an active part in important decision-making issues and reach more youth than ever in his goal to bring the education of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights into schools across Florida and beyond.

Youth for Human Rights Florida is a secular non-profit organization with the mission to educate about Human Rights both in and out of the classroom. The uniqueness of the program lies in the educational materials, which includes a simple to understand DVD explaining the 30 Human Rights, created in collaboration with the Human Rights Department of the Church of Scientology International. Its founder L. Ron Hubbard in fact stated: “Human rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream”.

To find out what are human rights go to: www.youthforhumanrights.org.