Human Rights Week

People with disability have a right to make ‘the safe choice’.

Today we celebrate International Day of People with Disability and the start of Human Rights Week 2023.

The theme for this year is ‘Rights in action’. All people have a right to safety, and registering as a disability worker is one way to increase safety for people with disability.

Registration increases overall community confidence in the disability sector by ensuring registered workers have the appropriate skills and experience to deliver disability services. By registering, disability workers demonstrate they value safety, respect and quality of work.

People with disability can make the safe choice by asking their disability worker to become registered.

To do now (5 minutes)

Watch our video – ‘The safe choice’.

If you use disability services you want to feel confident that you are receiving safe, quality support to live life your way.

You can make the safe choice by asking your disability worker to register with the Victorian Disability Worker Commission.

To do this week

If you are a disability worker, become registered to show you’re the safe choice for people with disability.

Follow the steps below and head to vdwc.vic.gov.au/disability-worker-registration to find out more and get registered today!

1. Read our registration factsheet.
2. Watch our ‘How to register’ video.
3. Read the checklist to prepare your application for registration.

Today’s action was brought to you by the Victorian Disability Worker Commission.

Safeguarding the human rights of people with disability.

Having a say in decisions that affect you is a basic human right.

But this is not always the reality for many people with disability – despite the law saying adults are presumed to have capacity to make their own decisions, unless it can be shown that they do not.

To do now (5 minutes)

Learn about one way the Office of the Public Advocate (OPA) ensures the voices of people with disability inform its work via a Lived Experience Advisory Committee.

For more actions you can take please visit and scroll to the schedule.

 To do this week

• Watch OPA’s HealthCARE Conversations video aimed at improving communication between health practitioners and people with disability (13 mins)
• Listen to an interview with the Public Advocate, Dr Colleen Pearce, on the interaction between human rights and OPA’s work (17 mins)
• Read OPA’s position statement on the right of people under guardianship or administration to tell their own story (4 mins)

Today’s action was brought to you by The Office of the Public Advocate.

 

Protecting cultural rights in Victoria.

In Victoria, cultural rights are an integral part of the fabric of society, enshrined in the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006. These rights safeguard the freedom of people and communities to express, practice, and develop their cultural identities, fostering a vibrant and inclusive society.

The Victorian Multicultural Commission works to bridge cultural divides, promote understanding, and advocate for the rights of culturally diverse communities.

To do now (5 minutes)

What cultural traditions do you practice? Share your stories, photos, or videos with us by tagging @multiculturevic and using the hashtags #HRWVic2023.

You can also learn more about cultural rights and protections in Victoria.

To do this week

Explore and celebrate diverse stories through the lens of short films that showcase stories of cultural diversity.

You can organise a screening with family and friends and watch some of our official selection films from the 2023 Multicultural Film Festival.

Today’s action was brought to you by the Victorian Multicultural Commission.

Find out more about bisexual+ communities and their unique experiences.

Bisexual+ people have unique experiences as members of LGBTIQA+ communities. Bisexual and multigender attracted people constitute the majority of non-exclusively heterosexual people by current best estimates.

Melbourne Bisexual Network (MBN) has worked with research staff at ARCSHS at La Trobe University to create a set of guidelines on bi+ inclusive research “By the Way”. We encourage you to use these guidelines to avoid reinforcing common myths, etc.

Bisexual+ people also face higher rates of intimate partner violence. MBN has also completed a project in collaboration with Safe + Equal and Berry Street: Intimate Partner Violence: Bi+ Inclusive Practice Report.

Today’s action is brought to you by the Commissioner for LGBTIQ+ Communities.

To do now

Post an affirming message – as a friend, family member or ally – on your social media and add the hashtags #Bisexual+ally and #HRWVic2023

Let all bisexual+ people in Victoria today know that they are a vital part of our LGBTIQA+ and broader communities.

Let them know that you stand with them and support them.

To do this week

Read more here Bi+ Reports Launch — Melbourne Bisexual Network (10 minutes)

A new Mental Health Act for Victoria.

Are you aware that the recently established Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission is now operational? Did you also know that Victoria has a new Mental Health Act (the Act)?

To do now

The Act came into effect on 1 September this year and supports changes underway to create a diverse, responsive and compassionate mental health and wellbeing system for all Victorians. If you are a consumer, carer or supporter accessing a publicly funded mental health and wellbeing service in Victoria, you may want to familiarise yourself with the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act.

To do this week

Understanding the Act helps individuals know their rights and principles within Victoria’s mental health and wellbeing system, ensuring they are treated with dignity and respect and empowers them to actively participate in decision-making processes related to treatment and care. Below are some resources to help you:

• Click here for Information, videos, and resources to support to support your understanding of the Act.
• You can also access resources on the Act in your language or access or resources on mental health advocacy, mental health support or legal help services.
• Learn more about The Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing. They bring together lived experience leadership, innovative service delivery, and cutting-edge mental health research to drive system transformation. The Collaborative Centre believes that access to quality mental health care is a human right – and that they must respect the preferences and wellbeing of those facing mental ill health. Human rights and social justice are one of the three foundations that underpin their strategic directions. For more information, please visit the Collaborative Centre website, follow them on LinkedIn, or join their mailing list for upcoming participation opportunities.

And finally, exercise your right to complain. If you feel that your rights, or the rights of someone you care for, have not been upheld while receiving mental health and wellbeing assessment or treatment. You can contact the MHWC on 1800 246 054, email help@mhwc.vic.gov.au, or go to our complaints page.

Today’s action was brought to you by the Mental Health Wellbeing Commission.

Education is a human right – including for kids in state care!

Education is a human right, yet our recently released inquiry, Let us learn, found that children and young people in state care in Victoria substantially trail behind their peers on key indicators of educational progress. They are more likely to be absent from school and be suspended or expelled and less likely to participate in NAPLAN or progress to year 12.

These outcomes vary by care type, with residential care the most concerning. Further, Aboriginal children fare worse than their non-Aboriginal peers.

We found that stigma, low expectations and racism remain prevalent in education settings, and that child protection and schools do not always collaborate effectively to support children and young people in care in their education.

We made 40 findings and 47 recommendations about how this could be addressed by improving support and collaboration, including through whole school trauma approaches. We also called for policies that explicitly deal with racism in education settings.

If you’d like to help the Commission for Children and Young People realise education as a human right for all children and young people, and those in care, there are some simple actions you can take in Human Rights Week, or anytime.

To do now (5 minutes)

Post this message to social media.

Education is a human right, but the Let us learn inquiry shows Victoria’s children in state care are missing out. To find out more, watch the video or read the report at our website #HRWVic2023 #LetUsLearn

https://ccyp.vic.gov.au/inquiries/systemic-inquiries/education-inquiry/

To do this week

If you want to support the right of children in care to benefit from education like most other children in Victoria, help us promote the Let us learn inquiry by posting to your social media channels using our stakeholder kit messages and social media tiles. You can also share the kit with your networks and include these hashtags #HRWVic2023 #LetUsLearn

Check out our stakeholder kit.

Today’s daily action was delivered by the Commission for Children and Young People.

How the Charter protects Aboriginal cultural rights

Victoria’s Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities (the Charter) protects the cultural rights of First Nations people in Victoria. It acknowledges the special importance of human rights for First Nations peoples, with diverse spiritual, social and cultural and economic relationships with their traditional lands and waters.

The Charter is about the relationship between government and the people it serves – it protects the fundamental rights of all Victorians and requires Victoria’s public authorities, parliament, and courts and tribunals to respect human rights.

First Nations people can raise their cultural rights at any time when accessing public services or when the government is making a decision that affects them, their family, kin or community.

Today’s action is brought to you by the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission.

To do now (5 mins)

Take our quiz – on any of these platforms – how much do you know about how the Charter protects Aboriginal cultural rights?

Facebook

Instagram post

Instagram story

LinkedIn

X

To do this week (5 mins)

• Take a look at our posters, fact sheets and other resources on Aboriginal cultural rights
  Aboriginal cultural rights
• Download our compact explainer on the Charter and find out more about what rights the Charter covers, what responsibilities it imposes on public authorities, courts and tribunals and the Parliament of Victoria, and when rights can be limited.
  Explainer: Protecting Victorians’ human rights (PDF)

 

Supporting First Nations people to report discrimination

No one should have to face discrimination – and if they do experience it, they shouldn’t have to deal with it alone. For International Human Rights Day (10 December), we are seeking your help launch our new digital and print campaign for First Nations communities, ‘What happened to you matters’.

People who have experienced discrimination, sexual harassment, victimisation or vilification can make a complaint to the Commission and we’ll attempt to resolve it through our free, culturally responsive conciliation process – an informal, flexible approach to finding an outcome to a complaint. Our staff are trained to support First Nations complainants and ensure the process is safe and supportive.

The campaign messages focus strongly on the value of support and allyship. We know that making a complaint can be a daunting process, so the campaign encourages people to share what happened to them with a family member, friend or supporter, and then to make a complaint together.

To do now (5 mins)

Support the First Nations campaign by sharing our social media tiles on your social media channels and letting your network know they don’t have to face discrimination alone.
Download social media tiles

To do this week (10 mins)

• Request copies of our posters and postcards for your office or public event.
  Email your request to communications@veohrc.vic.gov.au
• Read more about our tailored services for First Nations people and share the link with any First Nations people in your network.
  humanrights.vic.gov.au/first-nations

Today’s action was delivered by the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission.

Thank you for being a part of Human Rights Week 2023. See you in 2024!