A petition on human rights raised by pupils from Biggar High School is being presented to the Prime Minister by local MP David Mundell.
The Clydesdale & Tweeddale MP recently visited the school to meet S3 students in the Religious and Moral Education department.
As part of the RME Department’s S3 course work, and linking in with their ‘Rights Respecting Schools’ work, pupils have been researching key areas of human rights concern. This led them to raise petitions signed by fellow pupils, staff and the local community on a variety of issues, including human trafficking and child soldiers.
“I was delighted to be invited to Biggar High and meet these S3 students and listen to their concerns. It is encouraging that at such an early age our future generations are already considering others across the world, and taking on board a wide range of concerns in relation to human rights and child rights violations. I am now taking their letters and petitions to Number 10,” said Mr Mundell.
After speaking to the students about government he answered questions from the audience on a range of issues, including human rights and human trafficking, and things that the government is doing to combat human trafficking.
While at the school students handed over letters and petitions to Mr Mundell, which he in turn promised to present to the Prime Minister at Number 10 Downing Street.
The letters and petitions contain a variety of Amnesty International awareness raising campaigns on issues such as child prostitution; war & arms conflicts and children affected by war; child & human trafficking; human rights – wrongful imprisonment because of freedom of speech; female slavery; child soldiers; child imprisonment; world hunger; the closure of Guantanamo Bay; sexual exploitation of children; the killings in Syria; anti- torture, and racism.