What are Human Rights?

Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world, from birth until death.  They apply regardless of where you are from, what you believe or how you choose to live your life.

They can never be taken away, although they can sometimes be restricted – for example if a person breaks the law, or in the interests of national security.

These basic rights are based on shared values like dignity, fairness, equality, respect and independence. 

These values are defined and protected by law. In Britain our human rights are protected by the Human Rights Act 1998.

 

Why Are Human Rights Important to Anti-Racist and Anti-Oppressive Practice?

Human rights are an important aspect of dismantling racism and discrimination to make sure people are treated fairly and don't have their rights ignored, abused or oppressed.

In family work, if we are truly anti-oppressive, we are making sure that the rights of children, parents and families are protected and not abused. This means we have to know what human rights are, why they matter and be ready to advocate for families if they are experiencing discrimination.

You can read more about human rights, and watch some short videos, here

https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/human-rights/what-are-human-rights

 

What Are Children's Rights?

Every child has rights, whatever their ethnicity, gender, religion, language, abilities or any other status. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is the most complete statement of children’s rights ever produced and is the most widely-ratified international human rights treaty in history.

The UNCRC has 54 articles that cover all aspects of a child’s life. They set out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights that all children everywhere are entitled to. It also explains how adults and governments must work together to make sure all children can enjoy all their rights.

Although the UNCRC was ratified by the UK Government, it is not yet fully enshrined into UK domestic law. There are many campaigners who say it should be because it would make it harder to ignore children's rights. Scotland is now leading the way by choosing to enshrine the UNCRC into Scottish law This means the rights of children, young people and their families will be built into all aspects of public life in Scotland. 

 

Why Are Children's Rights Important to Anti-Racist and Anti-Oppressive Practice? 

For family work, its just as important that we know about childrens rights as adult human rights. If we know what children's rights are, we can make sure we help protect and advocate for children whose rights are being denied or oppressed, particularly through or because of racist behaviours or discriminatory actions. 

You can read more about childrens rights here:

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) - UNICEF UK

and you can find a copy of the UNCRC Rights of the Child here: 

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child