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Working together to build a better country for all.

Working in partnership to ensure all people have a greater awareness of their rights and feel empowered to claim them is key to driving forward the promotion and protection of human rights across Scotland, according to the newly appointed Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners’ Rights Alex Neil.

Speaking ahead of this afternoon’s debate in the Scottish Parliament to mark the first year anniversary since the launch of Scotland’s National Action Plan for Human Rights (SNAP), Mr Neil reiterated the Scottish Government’s commitment to work with the Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) and others to help create a better human rights culture for everyone, and announced plans for a new awareness raising campaign to spread the word about human rights.

Mr Neil said yesterday:

“I have responsibility for ensuring that the Scottish Government plays its part in the creation of a modern, inclusive Scotland that protects, respects and realises the human rights of all our citizens. This ambition is central to the Scottish Government’s efforts to tackle inequality and achieve social justice.

“There is more to do to ensure that the people of Scotland both understand their rights and feel empowered to claim them. That is why I am pleased to announce today that we will work with the Scottish Human Rights Commission and others to support the development of an awareness raising campaign designed to help achieve a greater understanding amongst the population of why rights matter, and empower them to claim their rights."

One of the main objectives of SNAP is the creation of a better human rights culture, where people have a greater awareness and understanding of their rights and feel empowered to claim them.

To mark International Human Rights Day next week (10 December), work will begin on a new pilot initiative to ensure greater public understanding of human rights.

In his speech, Mr Neil will argue that fundamental inequalities within our society need to be urgently tackled such as poverty. With too many minorities, still facing stigma and discrimination every day.

Background

International human rights bodies have frequently recommended that states should adopt a National Action Plan for human rights to address gaps in practice and progress the realisation of rights within states in a systematic fashion.

The development of SNAP has been defined as a “roadmap” for the realisation of internationally recognised human rights. It has become known as the Scottish Approach and establishes a vision of a Scotland where everyone is able to live with human dignity, and commits partners to a “transformative programme of action” that includes agreed outcomes and strategic priorities designed to focus action on delivering these outcomes.

To mark the first anniversary of SNAP and as part of the pilot initiative, the Scottish Human Rights Commission and partners have organised a range of activities:

• Encouraging individuals to take a #OurRightsSNAP on Twitter to tell their human rights story and help spread the word about human rights in everyday life
• An Innovation Forum in Glasgow on poverty and human rights (10 December)
• Cross-Scotland events are taking place in Inverurie (2 December), Dumfries (3 December), Glasgow (4 December), Inverness (8 December) and Falkirk (9 December)
• A lunchtime event at Parliament on health and social care in human rights, organised by NHS Scotland and the Alliance for Health and Social
• An event organised by Scottish Women’s Aid on 10 December to raise awareness of violence against women as a human rights issue
• A reception hosted by Amnesty International UK on 10 December at the Scottish Parliament to reflect on the state of human rights in Scotland and around the world, with an opportunity to take action to support international human rights
• A lecture on incorporating international human rights into Scotland’s laws on 11 December, with the Global Justice Academy and Edinburgh Centre for Constitutional Law
• More SHRC activity is available at: http://www.scottishhumanrights.com/humanrights/humanrightsday