2008-08-28 09:02:24 - Mr. Yukimasa Goto is a human rights advocate and the coordinator of the Youth for Human Rights International Chapter of Japan. While visiting Los Angeles he educated students at the Japanese language school about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.

Mr. Goto covered racial discrimination and bullying as violations of basic human rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration.

The children, who are not only Japanese American but other ethnicities as well, including Latino and Korean, spoke of the damage caused by violations of human rights. They gave examples from their personal experience when they have seen human rights violated.

The U.S.

State Department states that more than 600,000 men, women, and children are trafficked across international borders each year. Approximately 80 percent are women and girls and up to 50 percent are minors.

In 2007, there were 40,618 cases of child abuse in Japan, an increase of 3295 over the number for 2006. This was the highest ever reported in one year. There were 2152 cases of bullying reported in 2007 compared to 973 for 2006, the previous highest figure. In addition, police documented 300 cases of child abuses (including injury, sexual abuse and murder), also the highest figures ever reported in Japan. "This points up the urgent need to educate youth on their rights," said Mr. Goto. "Lacking understanding of human rights, children are bullied and sometimes experience racial discrimination and even more violent forms of abuse as they grow up. Children must know it is their right to defend themselves from abuse, and there are many organizations that will step in to protect them if abuse is occurring."

Mr. Goto showed the students a series of 30 short videos, one for each of the 30 rights expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Churches of Scientology support Youth for Human Rights International, and many Scientologists volunteer their time to encourage people to learn and defend their own rights and the right of others. In the late 1960's, when student and racial riots filled the front pages of newspapers and dominated TV news broadcasts, L. Ron Hubbard wrote, "An absence of human rights stained the hands of governments and threatened their rules. Very few governments have implemented any part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These governments have not grasped that their very survival depends utterly upon adopting such reforms and thus giving their peoples a cause, a civilization worth supporting, worth their patriotism."

The purpose of Youth for Human Rights International is to educate people on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights so they become valuable advocates for tolerance and peace. They urge people to insist that their governments fully implement the Universal Declaration.

Young delegates from Youth for Human Rights chapters from around the world will be participating in the 5th International Youth for Human Rights Summit, being held this year at UN headquarters in New York, from 5th to 7th September, 2008.