Together’s director Juliet Harris gives evidence at the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee meeting

Date: 21st October 2026
Category: General measures of implementation

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Speaking at the Scottish Parliament’s Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee’s evidence session on human rights, Together’s Director Juliet Harris welcomed the Scottish Government’s commitment to introduce a Human Rights Bill in the second year of the parliamentary session.

She said that the legislation must make a meaningful difference to people’s lives and build on lessons from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024. She highlighted limitations in the 2024 Act following a Supreme Court ruling, which narrowed the range of legislation covered by its protections. Important laws affecting children, including the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 and the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, remain outside its scope in relevant aspects.

Using an analogy previously developed by children and young people, Juliet described the Act as a “spider’s web with lots of holes in it”, reflecting gaps in its protections. However, she emphasised that children and young people recognise its value, explaining that having some protections is better than having none.

Together’s director further emphasised the need for better data collection to ensure that children affected by decisions made by adults are not overlooked. She noted that babies, children affected by parental imprisonment and other groups are often invisible in official statistics. She explained that reliable, detailed data is essential for assessing how decisions affect different communities, carrying out children’s rights impact assessments and ensuring that new policies advance, rather than undermine, children’s rights.

Watch the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee meeting.

Read the report from the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee meeting.