No longer just your visual pleasure: a case for a human rights education model in film and television for the benefit of gender equality

Abstract

Human Rights Education (HRE) is one of the most useful tools for the proliferation of human rights information and culture. However, majority of methods for the distribution of HRE are through formal settings, thus, there is a lack of universal access. This means that the ingraining of human rights both systemically and into our personal values systems is a much longer and difficult process. There is one form of communication that majority of the population have significant access to, that is, our onscreen entertainment. Film and television is an ingrained part of daily life and culture in the modern world, and has already shaped many of our perceptions. This medium has the capacity, based on case study evidence to be harnessed for a greater purpose. This thesis builds a case for the implementation of an HRE model within the production of film and television, for the purpose of benefitting the progression of gender equality. It explores the different methods of HRE, the already established uses of the screen in advocacy, the current representation of women on the screen and within the industry. Subsequently, and HRE model is proposed, based on the revised HRE models of Felisa Tibbitts, to implement into the film and television industry in Hollywood, for the pursuit of gender equality progress as per the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Based on the available literature and case study evidence, the evidence suggests that such a model would be possible to implement and could have significant benefits for gender equality within the film industry, but also within the larger community. Key words: Human Rights Education, gender equality, film, television, Felisa Tibbitts, screen-based mediums, activism, Hollywood, feminism, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).