Scottish Government updates on human rights progress
The Scottish Government has published an update on progress on five particular areas of recommendations made as part of the UN Human Rights Council’s review of the UK in 2017. In summary, the report includes:
- Human rights framework – outlines actions such as:
- the First Minister’s Advisory Group on Leadership in Human Rights;
- the Scottish Government’s commitment to incorporate the principles of the UNCRC into Scots law including consultation and engagement this year and publication of an audit around this issue in Spring 2019;
- and a new human rights National Outcome as part of the National Performance Framework.
- Violence against women and girls – outlining the new Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018.
- Tackling racial discrimination – including the Race Equality Action Plan, and the establishment of a minority ethnic women’s network for mentoring, peer support, capacity building, training and influencing workforce/workplace policies and practice.
- Access to justice – the report gives information about the review of legal aid.
- Human trafficking and slavery – this update includes information about two prosecutions under anti-trafficking law, information about a new public awareness campaign and an increase in the statutory support period to 90 days.
The Minister for Older People and Equalities Christina McKelvie MSP reiterates the Scottish Government’s commitment to ensure our human rights framework is not weakened as a result of Brexit or any threat to the Human Rights Act, stating that ‘we will use the full extent of our powers to defend the safeguards currently in place, including those provided by European Union law’.
You can read the full report here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/universal-periodic-review-human-rights-united-kingdom-2017-update-five-thematic-areas/