Human rights education for refugees : proposal of an empowering pedagogical tool in the case of Austria

Abstract

In the context of the latest influx of displaced people coming to Europe, with Austria as one of the countries where most asylum applications were claimed in 2015, this thesis investigates the field of education for refugees and herein especially Human Rights Education (HRE) for refugees. Considering the recent implementation of integration policies and requirements in Austria, the thesis has a special focus on the mandatory German and Values and Orientation courses for refugees and persons entitled to subsidiary protection in Austria. The thesis proposes including a human rights-focused week within those courses as an empowerment tool for the mentioned target group. For this purpose, already existing HRE pedagogical material will be examined and suggestions will be made in order to adapt the exercises and activities to refugees with a basic language level of the host country. The thesis will further outline that, in addition to the transformative and empowering character of Human Rights Education, embedding HRE within the German and Values and Orientation course can contribute to the successful integration of refugees as set out in the 2017 Austrian Integration Act.