THE Scottish Government has revealed plans to incorporate four United Nations Human Rights treaties into law, subject to the outcome of the May election.
Equalities Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville (below) unveiled the proposals, which would see legislation introduced to improve human rights for women, disabled people and minority ethnic communities.
The Bill would also have a key impact on poverty, housing, health, social care, drugs policy and other issues.
The four UN treaties are: The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The plans follow the publication of the National Taskforce for Human Rights Leadership’s final report, of which the Scottish Government accepted 30 recommendations.
Somerville described the plans as “bold and ambitious”.
“A multi-treaty human rights Bill of this nature, that will also contain a range of others rights on the environment, older people, and access to justice, is unprecedented and will make Scotland a world leader in human rights,” she said.
“This new Bill sets out our clear commitment to reducing inequality and advancing the human rights of everyone. It shows our dedication to go further and aim higher to ensure human rights are embedded in every aspect of life in Scotland.
“This ground-breaking human rights framework is going to make a difference, helping people and communities to live with dignity wherever they are in Scotland, and whatever their circumstances.”
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Professor Alan Miller, who co-chaired the taskforce, said Scotland has become “increasingly confident and internationalist” through devolution, and this new legislation will set the next steps of the nation’s journey.
“Our recommendations are challenging, ambitious and will need continued bold leadership to implement,” he said. “It would be by far the biggest step taken in Scotland’s human rights journey. This proposed new framework would, for the first time, put in a single place the range of internationally recognised human rights – civil, political, economic, social, cultural and environmental – which belong to everyone.”
Scotland is also the first country in the world to directly incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into law.
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