'Human Rights Protection in Scotland - Raising the Bar'

Date: 3rd March 2016
Category: General measures of implementation

On 3rd March 2016 the Jimmy Reid Foundation published a new policy paper on why Scotland must do better to respect, protect and fulfil human rights across devolved functions. The paper, written by Carole Ewart, recognises that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) has not been incorporated into Scots Law despite a recommendation to do so by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

The paper sets out what the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament can do, using devolved powers, to become an international model of best practice in the delivery of human rights. As the range of devolved functions increases due to the passing of the Scotland Bill at the UK Parliament, so does their capacity to make a positive difference. The paper concludes with four key recommendations for the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament.

In reviewing Scotland's record in furthering human rights, the paper highlights that the Scottish Parliament did not decide to incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into domestic law as part of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. The paper states that in 2008 the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, while welcoming the UK's efforts to implement the concluding observations on previous reports, noted that previous recommendations to UK governments had not been fulfilled, including to incorporate the UNCRC into law.

• Find out more about the paper here.
• Download the full report.