UN Human Rights Council Letters to Government Concerned Over Abolishing Student Human Rights Ordinance

Special rapporteurs of the U.N. Human Rights Council have sent a letter expressing concern over attempts to abolish the Seoul and Chungnam Student Human Rights Ordinance and demanding an explanation from our government.

In a letter sent on the 17th, three people, including Farida Shahid, UN Special Rapporteur on Education Rights, pointed out that the right to not be discriminated against is protected by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as by key international human rights agreements ratified by South Korea.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights added that member states have a duty to resolve discrimination against LGBTQ youth and have emphasized the implementation of education against LGBTQ hatred.

The letter called on our government to further explain the abolition of the Student Human Rights Ordinance and clarify how to resolve the situation that goes against international human rights standards if the ordinance is actually abolished.

Earlier, the Chungnam Provincial Council voted to abolish the student human rights ordinance in April and the Seoul Metropolitan Council in June, and the Supreme Court is currently reviewing whether to abolish the ordinance after applications for suspension of execution from local education offices were accepted.