Human Rights Day 2022
With thanks to… Human Rights Defenders
Who work to respect, protect and fulfil citizens’ rights in the ‘small places close to home’. Also to organisations that support the promotion of Human Rights in Scotland and around the world.
Every year on 10th December, we celebrate Human Rights Day to mark the anniversary of the day the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was formally introduced. This year marks 75th anniversary of the UDHR.
C-Change takes a human rights based approach to the work we do. All of our colleagues are Human Rights Defenders. We are committed to campaigning for human rights locally, nationally and internationally – in whatever way we can.
Why our Human Rights Act Matters
This Human Rights Day as we face a UK Government intent on scrapping our existing Human Rights Bill to replace it with a Bill of far less protection, we’re one of 158 organisations saying Our Human Rights Act Matters to every single one of us, every single day.
From an inaccessible consultation on getting rid of our Human Rights Act launched just 7 days after Human Rights Day 2021 to the unevidenced, unworkable and unprincipled Rights Removal Bill, it is clear we need to act.
We have signed this letter to the PM & political leaders along with other organisations to make it clear to them #WhyOurHumanRightsActMatters
Click here to read this letter.
Click here to read this letter (plain text).
Click here to read this letter (easy-read version)
Further resources:
BIHR: Your Right, What rights do I have? Find out about the 16 essential rights currently protected by the UK’s Human Rights Act (includes easy-read)
The British Institute of Human Rights, Community Mobilisation Campaign www.bihr.org.uk/news-blogs/blog/human-rights-day-2022-community-mobilisation
The Scottish Human Rights Commission www.scottishhumanrights.com
Human Rights Consortium Scotland hrcscotland.org
United Nations Human Rights UDHR75 www.ohchr.org/en/get-involved/campaign/human-rights-day/udhr-75
What Human Rights mean to us…
In the lead up to Human Rights Day 2022, we asked our colleagues and people we work for simply ‘What do human rights mean to you?’. (See responses below)
“Fundamentally everyone should have the same rights and this should be reflected in everything society does.”
Gina Etherson – Human Rights Defender at C-Change
“Human Rights should be the basic rules of life we all observe, respecting of all others and treating all as equal regardless of any differences.”
Alastair Grant – Human Rights Defender at C-Change
“Human Rights for me are the basic freedoms and rights for us all. These should be cherished and protected as they are fundamental to everything we do and who we are. No one should be able to take these away from us.”
Lesley Sharkey – Human Rights Defender at C-Change
“We all have the right to make our own decisions about our life, but this is often taken away from people with learning disabilities…It is important to have a good Human Rights Bill for Scotland because it will make a positive difference for people with learning disabilities and for everyone.”
John Clarke – Human Rights Defender at C-Change & Dates-n-Mates
“Human Rights are the foundation for everything we do, or experience. They are fundamental to life.”
Ian Williams – Human Rights Defender at C-Change
“When I think of Human Rights, I think of the many people who fought so hard to make sure we have the rights we currently enjoy in Scotland today. I also think how human rights is not something passive, as we must exercise them daily, even in the smallest of ways. It would be a mistake to take the rights we currently enjoy for granted, as they are not a given. Human rights will always be a work in progress, and we forget that at our peril.”
Douglas Graham – Human Rights Defender at C-Change
“Dignity, fairness, equality and respect belong to us all. We wouldn’t be anyone without the human rights act, which protects us all. Our country has evolved with human rights. People will always push and strive to make it better, there is always room for improvement”
Sarah Meikle – Human Rights Defender at C-Change
“Human Rights are the right to basic freedoms, fairness and equality for everyone”
Janine Chapman – Human Rights Defender at C-Change
“Human rights, to me, are a set of internationally recognised agreements about the basic standards necessary for each of us to live our good life. It is our job to work together to ensure these agreements become a lived reality. We, each of us, have an important part to play.”
Sam Smith – Human Rights Defender at C-Change
“Human Rights frames the work that we do, the golden thread that runs through our processes and systems at C-Change”
Grace Gilfeather – Human Rights Defender at C-Change
“For me – Human Rights means: No discrimination – of any kind. Equal rights for all regardless of gender. A right to a safe working environment. A right to a minimum working wage. Assisting to remove barriers, where possible to assist a disabled person access work.”
Bob Cross – Human Rights Defender at C-Change
Lynn Watson – Human Rights Defender at C-Change
“Human Rights are basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person. Everyone is entitled to their human rights – no one should be able to take these away.”
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