British Scientologists from the Sussex town of East Grinstead, UK headquarters for the Scientology religion, joined Church members throughout Europe this month in a petition drive demanding full implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

This is part of an international campaign called “Making Human Rights a Global Reality,” promoted by the Church of Scientology International Human Rights Department in association with Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) to raise public awareness of human rights. The petition, which can be signed at new.petitiononline.com/yhri2005/petition.html, urges the full implementation of the UDHR to help counter ethnic, racial and religious conflicts, and other human rights violations.

Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard stated, “Human rights must be made a fact not an idealistic dream.” The Church’s Human Rights Youth Coordinator for the UK, David Hodkin, said “Every day there are human rights abuses in the UK such as bullying and other forms of discrimination, child abuse and mistreatment of the elderly. Education on what human rights actually are will help to prevent these abuses and stamp them out when they occur.”