Calls for a Scottish Human Rights Bill grow as world marks Human Rights Day
/This article was featured in the SCDC Weekly - 11th December 2024.
Yesterday was International Human Rights Day, a day celebrated annually to mark the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the aftermath of World War II.
Tuesday also saw a range of groups and individuals come together to march on the Scottish Parliament Building, demanding the Scottish Government bring forward a Human Rights Bill for Scotland.
Despite extensive consultation on its content last year, a Human Rights Bill failed to appear in this year’s Programme for Government, after being delayed in June due to the General Election. A Bill would incorporate a range of rights into Scots Law, and place duties on public bodies to uphold these rights.
Many organisations have expressed disappointment that the Bill has not progressed. In September, the Human Rights Consortium Scotland called its lack of inclusion "a broken promise to the people of Scotland", and key organisations such as Making Rights Real have pulled out of engagements with the government over the issue.
We sincerely hope this Bill is included in the final programme for government before the May 2026 election. Human rights are at the core of community development approaches, and a Human Rights Bill would provide an extension of the right to participate in decisions which impact on the rights of everyone in Scotland.
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