NGOs standing together for the Human Rights Act

Published: 09 December 2011

PRESS RELEASE
Embargoed: 00.01am, 10 December 2011

Leading organisations call on political party leaders to protect the Human Rights Act in an open letter to mark international Human Rights Day on10 December. These organisations cover a diverse range of issues. We have collectively come together to speak with one voice to express disappointment that the Human Rights Act is all too often vilified, and call for leadership from our political leaders on the Human Rights Act.

The 43 organisations remind the party leaders that the Human Rights Act protects us all from violence, abuse and neglect, and enshrines our liberty, free speech and right to protest in UK law. In essence it ensures all people are treated with basic dignity and respect.

The signatory organisations range from the large to the small and the local to the national. The 43 organisations (the full list and text of letter is below) represent many sectors of civil society and include the Royal College of Nursing, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, Mind, Unicef UK, Age UK, Mencap, Citizens Advice, Equality South West, the National AIDS Trust and the Down’s Syndrome Association, alongside the main human rights organisations in Britain.

Stephen Bowen, Director of the British Institute of Human Rights said:

“Many voices are coming together to speak with one voice to defend the Human Rights Act. We hold a common belief in the common good of the Human Rights Act. Human rights are about human beings, and making sure we’re all treated fairly and decently.

“After a year when human rights abroad have been in the front of everyone’s minds we would like to see our political representatives stand up for human rights here at home and not to fuel the urban myths which surround the Human Rights Act.”

The full text of the letter:

Dear Party Leaders

As leaders of civil society organisations – large and small – we write to remind you that today is international human rights day, a day to celebrate the legal protection of universal human rights. Globally, human rights activism has never been more topical or more important; we have witnessed individuals across the world taking to the streets to defend their rights. Yet as we pay tribute to them, we are saddened and disappointed that, here at home, our own Human Rights Act is all too often vilified by powerful voices in some media and political circles.

For our organisations, and for the people we represent, the Human Rights Act is something to be treasured, to be championed and, if the need arises, to be defended. The vital constitutional checks and balances provided by the Human Rights Act; its defence of free speech, the right to protest and our liberty; and the positive impact it has had on enabling the delivery of better and fairer public services are something to be celebrated. For countless people up and down this country the Human Rights Act protects them from violence, abuse and neglect, and ensures fair treatment. In short the Human Rights Act makes sure we are all treated with basic dignity and respect.

Today, we call on all political leaders and representatives to reflect on the true meaning of universal human rights, hard-won and set down in law following the horrors of the Second World War. Now is the time to recognise that this is the true ancestry of our Human Rights Act, which protects each and every one of us. We call on all political leaders and representatives to commit to promoting a true and genuine understanding of human rights and to defend the Human Rights Act. Such a commitment, if properly delivered, would secure our human rights heritage and protect us all. If we in the UK are not willing to stand firm on our Human Rights Act, we undermine the work of so many courageous people across the world who, often at great risk, are trying to make the legal protection of universal human rights a reality in their lives.

Yours sincerely,

The full list of signatories: British Institute of Human Rights; Action on Hearing Loss; Age UK; Amnesty International UK; AVA (Against Violence and Abuse); British Humanist Association; Citizens Advice; Discrimination Law Association; Down’s Syndrome Association; Employability Forum; End Violence Against Women; Equality and Diversity Forum; Equality South West; Equality Now; Equanomics-UK; Freedom from Torture; Friends, Families and Travellers; Galop; Gender Identity Research and Education Society; Human Rights Watch; JUSTICE; Law Centres Federation; Lesbian and Gay Foundation; Liberty; Mencap; Mind; NAT (National AIDS Trust); National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO); Press for Change; Prison Reform Trust; Race on the Agenda (ROTA); Radar; Refugee Council; René Cassin; Royal College of Nursing; Rights of Women; Runnymede Trust; Songololo Feet; Unicef UK; Unlock Democracy; Women’s Resource Centre; Voice4Change England; Yorkshire MESMAC.

Ends

Notes to editors:

1. For media enquiries and comment please contact Jean Candler or Sanchita Hosali on 020 7882 5850 / jcandler@bihr.org.uk or shosali@bihr.org.uk

2. BIHR is a national independent human rights charity committed to bringing rights to life in the UK. Since the introduction of the Human Rights Act, we have specialised in taking human rights ‘beyond the courtroom’, making human rights knowledge accessible to a wide range of audiences and translating the ideas and laws into practical tools for people and organisations to use in everyday life. Further information about BIHR and our recent reports can be found by visiting: www.bihr.org.uk

3. The Government established a Commission on a UK Bill of Rights, which is due to report by the end of 2012. It recently carried out its first consultation and BIHR’s submission outlining its concerns and recommendations can be found here: http://www.bihr.org.uk/documents/policy/bihr-responds-to-the-governments-commission-on-a-uk-bill-of-rights