LANSING — State Rep. Abdullah Hammoud (D-Dearborn) has introduced House Resolution 464, which declares Dec. 10-14 as International Human Rights Week in Michigan.

 The resolution urges Congress to provide funding for educational assistance to refugee children. 

“Increased federal funding for educational programs is a vital and necessary step in meeting the needs of refugee students,” Hammoud said. “Federal education programs, incorporating English language instruction classes along with interpreter services for students and parents, can provide necessary opportunities for all refugee students regardless of their location.”

Human Rights Day is observed every year on Dec. 10 — the day in 1948 when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

This year marks the 70th anniversary of that declaration, a revolutionary document that proclaimed the inalienable rights — to which all people are inherently entitled — regardless of race, color, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

“After-school tutoring programs, summer clubs and parental involvement programs encourage full participation in school activities while increasing the likelihood of obtaining a high school degree,” Hammoud said. “Bilingual and bicultural counselors can also serve as mentors in how to navigate poverty, racism and xenophobia present within American schools. We, as a society, should simply be doing more to support refugee children.”