[hr-education-na] 'Virtual Campus' will promote teaching of IHL

ICRC Press Release 
2-04-2007 

Geneva (ICRC) -- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has
launched a new website for teachers of its Exploring Humanitarian Law
(EHL) programme, which is designed to introduce secondary-school students
to the basic rules and principles of international humanitarian law.

The fast-growing programme is already being implemented in over 60
countries worldwide and has outstripped existing capacity for teacher
training -- hence the creation of the new website, the EHL Virtual Campus.

"The website was set up in response to a growing demand by teachers for
help in bringing the law of war into the secondary school classroom," said
Nicole Martins-Maag, who is in charge of the EHL Virtual Campus project at
the ICRC. "We hope that international humanitarian law will eventually be
included in secondary school curricula around the world and become part of
the basic education given to teenagers. Education authorities must become
closely involved in bringing EHL to young people."

The EHL programme comprises 30 hours of interactive classroom activities
that explore a wide array of ethical and humanitarian issues relating to
armed conflict -- from child soldiers and war crimes to prisoners of war
and missing persons. One of the aims of the programme is to foster in
students an awareness of the need for humanitarian norms and an interest
and responsible involvement in local and international events.

The English-language EHL Virtual Campus offers a range of teaching
resources, including learning modules, workshops, training videos and an
online discussion forum. Teaching materials can be downloaded in English,
French, Russian and Spanish. The EHL Virtual Campus can be accessed at
www.ehl.icrc.org

For further information, please contact: 
Claudia McGoldrick, ICRC Geneva, tel. +41 22 730 2063 or +41 79 217
3216 






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