Human rights
Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world. They include civil and polical rights, such as the right to vote, as well as economic, social and cultural rights, such as the right to the highest possible standard of physical and mental health.
A lot of work has been happening in Scotland around human rights (see the video on the right on Scotland’s National Action Plan for Human Rights as an example). Below you can find links to some of the main developments and information.
JustRight Scotland provides legal advice to people who would otherwise struggle to access justice.
A membership organisation which represents the views of disabled people and disability groups/organisations, as well as the umbrella organisation for disability Access Panels in Scotland, which are groups of disabled volunteers who work together to improve physical access and wider social inclusion in their local communities.
Making Rights Real is a grassroots human rights organisation that supports communities to name and claim their rights.
The Social Impact Pledge is about simple ways that public bodies can make a difference to communities. Here are some pledges made by public bodies that make commitments to promote equality and human rights.
Together is an alliance of Scottish children's charities that works to improve the awareness, understanding and implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
Scotland's National Action Plan for Human Rights (SNAP) is a roadmap towards realising people’s human rights, developed by a drafting group from the public and voluntary sectors. It may be useful to refer to when campaigning for, or working on, human rights issues.
ERCS aims to provide accessible public education and advice services in environmental and related planning law. It also advocates for policy and law reform and will pursue public interest litigation to ensure environmental rights are upheld.
This section of the Scottish Government’s mygov.scot website introduces human rights as well as how they are protected by United Nations treaties and how this will be affected by brexit.
The Scottish Government’s webpage on human rights, with links to relevant policy, including international and UK dimensions, children’s rights, the First Minister’s Advisory Group on Human Rights Leadership and information on economic, social, cultural and environmental rights.
The Scottish Human Rights Commission promotes and protects human rights for everyone in Scotland. Independent of Government, the commission works on legal, policy and practical issues that affect people's human rights in Scotland.