To think the school have got this very wrong?

[anerki101]

Had an email from my child's school this week regarding the World Cup. The council have decided that they want to celebrate the World Cup so will be allowing the first game to be shown in school for every one to watch. They added that because of the human rights concerns with the host nation they would ask the kids to wear their football kits or team colours and bring in a donation for amnesty International.

AIBU to think this is wrong? If they are concerned about the human rights issues then surely boycotting the World Cup and NOT showing the game is the the best thing to do? Very happy to donate to amnesty but I still think allowing the game to be shown is a mistake.

I say this as a football fan who looks forward and watches the world Cup but won't be this time.

Ah I see @melj1213 thankyou 😊

In 2002 the Brazil match was at breakfast time, I recall driving in and Radio bloody 4 gave out the 'latest score' England 1 Brazil 0 so by the time I got into school where a bacon butty party was taking place England were no longer winning and ultimately lost! I totally blame Radio 4, I should never, ever know a score of an event in which I have an interest! Very little school time missed and the children enjoyed watching the match together, other than the result.

By the first game I assume they mean England vs Iran. The actual first game is on Sunday. I don't see a problem with it. It's the one England game that is being played during school hours, all the others will be on at 7pm or at weekends.

The only reason why anything "matters" is because people think it matters. People think the world cup matters, therefore it does matter.

I would actually be more likely to support banning the match because Iran is playing. Theological dictatorship torturing its own citizens as we speak. Worse than Qatar for sure.

Bloody schools have double standards to suit their respective needs; they infuriated the hell out of me when my children were at school; what happens to the children who have absolutely no interest in football & is it really such a good idea sending children to school in football kits mid November? It’s cold; wet & I very much doubt any of the teacher will be slung out in the playground to freeze their tits off at lunchtime!! A very ill conceived idea me thinks 😂

They should boycott it if they want to take a stance

Yellowdahlia12

I suspect the primary kids who suspect they might be gay will be concerned.

^ this and a lot more besides. They are not the "human rights" organisation, they would like us to believe.
The teaching staff should educate themselves.

If the kid's five, that's a bit mad.
If it's a secondary school, gives the chance to understand the political element and discuss, but to also watch the football.
Not quite sure what else they could do. That sounds very sensible

Oh come off it.
They say nothing about a human right to sex, it's all about the rights of the people selling sex. If someone is selling sex, if it's out of desperation for money or just hornyness, they deserve to be as safe as possible. They deserve financial support to avoid having to do it out of desperation, but the most important thing is the safety of sex workers.
The best way to keep workers safe is full decriminalisation, backed up by study after study on sex workers rights and safety in different countries.

I work in the UK, where it's mostly decriminalised, so I can advertise online, I can screen my clients using national blacklists, I have a lot of choice and freedom in how I work.
But I can't hire a bodyguard. I can't rent a hotel room with a friend and both use it for work. I can't have my bank account or my landlord find out what I do or I risk homelessness. How do any of these laws protect me?
If my work, the way I keep a roof over my head and food on my table, was made illegal, how would that protect me?

Personally do not see the need for the kids to even watch football at school to be honest.

@Rororowan
Good for you. There are thousands being abused for everyone like you. I also live in the UK and prostitution is still a crime.
There are many women being trafficked and you know it.

Try not to compare your life to that of others who have no choice.

Amnesty does support the trafficking of women, they publicly say it.
The only way forward for the protection of these women (and it is mostly women) is the Nordic Model.

The school should not be trying to make a human rights statement.
They should just let kids be kids and enjoy watching the football with their friends.

I agree. There is a difference between talking to your kids about the wrongs of the world and expecting them to get involved. They are kids for a short time, let them have fun before they have to deal with the worry and stress of adulthood.

I say this as a football fan who looks forward and watches the world Cup but won't be this time.

And how is this going to help? For every person who does this there will be many, many others who will be watching, so what is the actual point?

A lot of schools will then use the World Cup interest to spark other work

how tedious for all the pupils who don’t give a toss about football.

Ban them from watching the football and attendance will drop dramatically.
I think the school are being very clever with the right stance whilst encouraging children not to miss the other 4 hours of their education

I remember a similar situation when there was a National dispute as to whether one of our teams should go abroad to play against a country that had just clearly broken the International Convention of Human Rights. A Teacher in Assembly asked us this:
"You've been invited to a birthday party of one of the people in your year. It is going to be quite a party and everyone wants to be there.
Then on his way home, your little brother gets beaten up and has his pocket money taken by a gang of big boys who are the gang the Birthday Party Boy goes around with. After this you see them all together laughing, the birthday boy enjoying a joke with them.
Do you still go to his party?"

People who do not have their own room and house in order should be very careful about trying to do anything to change the world. It is infinitely more important to teach children to live as good men and women before they even start to bother about activism. This will just teach kids to take life way too seriously and to be bidder about social problems by showing superficial "solutions" just to send a shallow message.

They should not be watching it

When I was a child I was sent to a Catholic Boarding School. (Army Parents stationed abroad)
I can clearly remember November 5th, bonfires, fireworks but NO GUY.
This was because Guy Fawkes was a Catholic and burnt at the stake. I don’t think it matters what religion but that point was made not to celebrate the burning at the stake of a human being. I think the message was a good one and it stuck with me. I feel that schools should send a similar message. If they do show the football, they could do some project work on slave labour and moral dilemmas. If you know the facts, you cannot ignore the injustice and human rights issues in this county. It is never too young to be made aware of injustice, and it’s consequences. Our freedoms will then be all the more appreciated and our children will come to learn how privileged and lucky we all are. An important life lesson ..

So are you not going to watch at home?

Why is this such a big deal. FIFA have decided this. When cricket was held in India no one said about the untouchables who are treated so badly and the amount of rape cases. When tennis was held in Israel no said anything about the killing of children and land being stolen daily. Everyone was silent then. It seems cowardly to only pick on Qatar. When people are offered jobs with tax free earnings than these issues disappear

The statement from the school is shocking. I’m guessing there’s no Arabs that attend then!

Do you wear/use product from China or anywhere else with terrible human rights? Are you aware of the amount of Qatari money invested in the UK at present, with welcoming arms and contributing the economy.