It is time to close the accountability gap in Scotland!
Image credit: Craig Chew-Moulding, Flickr
The Scottish Human Rights Commission has published a new report into models of incorporating international human rights standards into law, authored by Dr Katie Boyle, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Stirling.
The report, ‘Models of Incorporation and Justiciability for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights’, highlights that people in Scotland have limited recourse to human rights laws when it comes to realising their economic, social and cultural rights. This accountability gap affects people’s rights to an adequate standard of living, health, housing, food and social security, among others.
Dr Boyle’s report details how countries around the world have stronger laws and stronger accountability processes for economic, social and cultural rights than exist in Scotland. Around 65 countries globally, including 12 in Europe, explicitly enshrine these rights in their constitutions, while others such as Finland also build in parliamentary scrutiny of whether they are being implemented.
Read the full report here.
Image credit: Craig Chew-Moulding CC by 2.0, Flickr