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Updates to Human Rights in Scotland

Woman doing a talking gesture with a sign in the middle of the screen saying 'Human Rights Now Available In Human', as the slogan of the new Scotland human rights campaign indicating our work to turn legal and treaty jargon into understandable and accessible information.

Overview

Acronymns, treaties, legal gibberish.

Human rights aren’t always easy to understand.

And they don’t just apply to political prisoners and armed conflict. They’re also about you. Your work. Your home and family. Your right to education.

To dye your hair pink or blue, or shave it all off entirely. Your right to wear whatever you want, regardless of how bad your style is. There are so many personal freedoms you might not even know you have. 

What Is Changing?

The Scottish Government has kicked off the process of incorporating international human rights treaties into Scots law. This brings human rights home – so instead of having to go to Strasbourg to protect our rights, we’ll be protected right here in our local courtrooms. And local governments, councils, health boards and companies will be legally obliged to put a wider range of rights into practice – making a positive impact on everyday lives in Scotland.

So far the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) has been passed by the Scottish Parliament, and soon the process of incorporating four more international treaties, and the right to a healthy environment, will begin:

  • International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)
     
  • Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
     
  • Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)
     
  • Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) 

The Scottish Government is deciding how it will go about bringing these treaties into law. We know it won’t be a straightforward process and we don’t want to see a weak or watered down law.

What Are We Doing?

Amnesty will be campaigning to make sure the legislation is as strong as possible, and will truly help people to name and claim their rights, but we know the legal jargon can be time consuming  - and we want more people to know about the rights behind the acronyms. 

We’ll be posting regular blogs and videos on the treaties and different rights contained in them here.

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We’d also love to hear from you about how human rights apply to your life and where stronger protections are needed. You can tag us and share your stories on social media using the hashtag #ShareYourRights.

Follow us at: 

Youtube:    @Amnesty_Scotland
Instagram: @AmnestyScotland
Twitter:      @AmnestyScotland
Facebook: @AmnestyScotland

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