In this issue: Human Rights
This term we are focusing on human rights. Using exclusive resources, we will be examining a selection of the human rights issues that Parliament looks at, and their effect on global trade and politics.
Questions we will be examining include: is it right to deport people back to countries with poor human rights records? Should prisoners be given the right to vote? Should the UK trade and have political relationships with countries that have poor human rights records?
Explore these issues with your students using the videos, summaries and downloadable resources below.
In one minute
We asked Simon Hughes MP, member of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, a few questions about human rights and the work of Parliament. Click on the links to find out what he said.
Watch: Why are human rights important?
More videos
Classroom resources
Explore the issues surrounding human rights using these suggested activities and teachers' notes
- Ask your students to compare and contrast the level of human rights they enjoy in the UK with other countries around the world.
- Look at some of Parliament's work, discussing the issues surrounding human rights.
- Organise a class debate on some topical human rights stories.
Notes
Human Rights
Although there is not one definitive list of human rights, it is commonly accepted that they are rights and freedoms that belong to all individuals, regardless of their nationality and citizenship. They are seen as fundamentally important to creating a free and fair society.
In the UK, Parliament plays a central role in debating and balancing the rights of the individual against the needs of the wider community. Starting with the Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, the UK has signed up to a large number of human rights treaties and protocols. By signing these agreements we agree, as a country, to uphold a set of universal rights.
The principles of human rights have developed at domestic, regional and International levels. This has led to international and domestic human rights laws being enforced and monitored in different ways, so differences can arise in the standards that individual countries adopt.
Everyone in the UK is covered in law by the Human Rights Act 1998 and the UK has also agreed to abide by international human rights agreements such as the European Convention on Human Rights and the United Nations human rights instruments (often called conventions, covenants or treaties), which are based on the common standards set out in the 1948 UN Declaration on Human Rights. Parliament regularly deals with the issues surrounding human rights when creating bills and through the work of its committees. You will find some examples that are being considered by Parliament below.
Voting Eligibility (Prisoners) Draft Bill
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has told the UK that its blanket ban on prisoners voting is in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights. The ECHR requires the UK to change its laws so that it complies.
The Ministry of Justice has published a draft bill consisting of three options for Parliament to scrutinise and put forward other possible options. The three options in the draft bill are:
- A ban for prisoners sentenced to 4 years or more.
- A ban for prisoners sentenced to more than 6 months.
- A ban for all convicted prisoners - a restatement of the existing ban.
The Transparency in UK Company Supply Chains (Eradication of Slavery) Bill
Large companies in the UK will be required to outline the measures taken by them to eradicate slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and the worst forms of child labour from their supply chains. This information will need to be provided to customers and investors.
Companies that uncover slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and the
worst forms of child labour in their supply chains will have to take appropriate actions to provide victims with necessary protections and rights.
The Justice and Security Bill
This bill would allow more civil court cases to be held in secret. This is so that sensitive intelligence material could be kept out of the public domain. The bill has been examined by the Joint Committee on Human Rights who reported that the bill represents a significant shift away from historic common law principles.
The Foreign Affairs Committee report on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO's) human rights work in 2011
The Foreign Affairs Committee has just reported on the FCO's human rights work in 2011. The report raises several points about the issues that can arise when we deal with countries that have differing levels of human rights.
Deportation – how should the UK assess the risk to the safety of people who are deported back to countries with poor human rights records?
Consistency – how do we ensure that boycotts of international events are carried out consistently? For example, Euro 2012 matches in Ukraine and the Formula One Grand Prix event in Bahrain were not treated in the same way. What criteria should be used to decide which events are boycotted?
The links below explore some of these issues in more detail and provide some primary source material for bills and committee reports.
More information
Making sense of Human Rights
International Agreements on Human Rights signed up to by the UK
Working with an International Human Rights Framework
Statement on voting eligibility for prisoners
Transparency in UK Company Supply Chains (Eradication of Slavery) Bill
More about the Justice and Security Bill
Foreign Affairs Committee report on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's human rights work in 2011 - Summary
Joint Committee on Human Rights publishes legislative scrutiny report on the Justice and Security Bill
A selection of current parlimentary material on human rights
What do your students think about these issues?
News round-up: Top stories this month
How does an MP resign?
The answer is 'not easily!'. In most jobs a letter of resignation will suffice but a resolution passed by the House of Commons in 1624 means that MPs cannot resign directly. Click on the link below to find out how Martin McGuinness resigned as an MP.
Rail 2020 report published
Transport is important for a number of economic, social and environmental reasons and MPs on the Transport Select Committee have set out their vision for a more efficient future railway system in this report.
Follow the Lords on Facebook and YouTube
The House of Lords has launched its own Facebook and YouTube channels, which will be used to publish exclusive Lords content. Like and follow to find out how the Lords checks and challenges the work of the UK Government.