Main title Subheading

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Main titleSubheading

• Using the international human rights system

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About BIHR

• We are a national charity aiming to bring human
  rights to life in the UK by

• Raising awareness of human rights
• Building capacity to use human rights based
  approaches
• Influencing policy change

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Context/ aims

• NEP and BIHR Guide for the VCS Using
  international human rights
• Want to bring this to life and inspire you to use
  it!
• Aim to increase awareness and understanding of
  the system and how you can engage with it to make
  a difference to your work

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Overview

• The ideas
• What are human rights, where do they come from
  and why do they matter?
• International law
• What are they key parts of the international
  human rights system and how do they work?
• The practice
• How can you use it? Case studies and practical
  examples.

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Main titleSubheading

• The ideas

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Which human rights are being taken away in these
photos?
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Human rights are
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Key ideas
Belong to everyone Cannot be given, only
claimed Cannot be taken away Are a set of
basic, universal standards
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Shift from needs to rights

• A right is something to which one is entitled
  solely by virtue of being a person enables a
  person to live with dignity can be enforced
  and entails government obligation.
• A need is an aspiration that can be quite
  legitimate but not necessarily associated with an
  obligation by government to cater to it. The
  satisfaction of a need cannot be enforced. Human
  rights make the difference between being and just
  merely existing
• From UNDP Poverty Practice note

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Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• ARTICLE 1
• All human beings are born free and equal in
  dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason
  and conscience and should act towards each other
  in a spirit of brotherhood.

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Creation of a human rights system

• Civil and political rights

• Economic,
• social and
• cultural
• rights

Children
Women
Disabled People
UDHR
Migrant workers
No Torture
The roots Ancient philosophies, religion,
revolutions, social movements etc
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Main titleSubheading

• The law

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United Nations
e.g. International human rights treaties e.g
CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women, CRC (Convention on
the Rights of the Child)
UK Government
Human Rights Act 1998
Council of Europe
European Convention on Human Rights 1950
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State obligations

• State parties have obligations to
• Respect human rights i.e. refrain from
  interfering with the enjoyment of rights
• Protect human rights i.e. prevent rights abuses
  by third parties
• Fulfil human rights i.e. pro-actively engage in
  activities that strengthen access to and
  realisation of rights.

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Different international human rights mechanisms

• International Treaties (Conventions)
• Monitoring Committees
• Other UN instruments (p40 guide)
• Other procedures
• Special Rapporteurs
• Universal Periodic Review
• UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (Navi
  Pillay)

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List of International Human Rights treaties

1. International Covenant on Civil and Political
   Rights (ICCPR), 1966
2. International Covenant on Economic, Social and
   Cultural Rights (ICESCR), 1966
3. Convention on the Elimination of Racial
   Discrimination (CERD), 1965
4. Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination
   Against Women (CEDAW), 1979
5. Convention Against Torture (CAT), 1984
6. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), 1989
7. Convention on Migrant Workers (CMW), 1990 (The UK
   has not signed up to this Convention)
8. International Convention on the Rights of Persons
   with Disabilities (ICRPD), 2006
9. International Convention for the Protection of
   All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPED),
   2006 (The UK has not signed up to this Convention)

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UK and International treaties

• Some facts!
• UK signed and ratified all except for Migrant
  Workers and Enforced Disappearances
• UK first governments to sign one on Persons with
  Disabilities but only ratified on 8th June 09
• Only 2 countries havent ratified the Childrens
  Treaty- do you know which ones?

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Sign or Ratify?

• Sign a treaty - not legally binding, but
• expressing agreement.
• Ratify a treaty- legally binding. Must submit
  report to committees to prove you are following
  the duties in the treaty.

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Enforcing and monitoring rights

1. Govt Reports by states to UN treaty monitoring
   committees (international)
2. Committee sessions
3. Concluding observations
4. Complaints by individuals to UN committees
   (limited e.g CEDAW)

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Group Activity

• Looking at the specific rights in some of the
  treaties and linking them to your work/issues.

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Main titleSubheading

• Engaging with the human rights system

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How can you engage with international human
rights?

• Raise awareness tell people about them!
• Influence the UN Committees
• Hold the government and public bodies to account
• Campaign and lobby for stronger human rights
  protection
• Advocate for human rights

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Influencing the committees

• Shadow reporting
• Submitting evidence
• Meeting the committees
• Attending committee sessions as an observer
• Assisting the government with drafting their
  official reports
• Example French CAT report example

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Extract from Franciscans shadow report

• Franciscans International would like to draw
  the attention of the Committee against Torture to
  the situation of elderly persons in institutions
  and, in particular, to the significant level of
  mistreatment that occurs in therein.
• Based on a sample of 496 calls received in 2007
  concerning cases of the mistreatment of elderly
  persons in institutions, ALMA reveals that 44 of
  cases of repeated mistreatment concerned private
  establishments, whereas at least 36 of the cases
  were registered in public institutions.

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The reporting cycle
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Holding the state to account

• Rich source of material for lobbying and
  campaigning work, e.g.
• Concluding observations
• General comments
• Powerful language
• Example Participation and Practice of Rights
  project

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Individual action-planning

• Pick a treaty which is relevant to your work.
• What could you do to engage in the reporting
  cycle
• Think about
• date of next government report,
• what information you could send to the committee,
  what evidence you have,
• who you could partner with

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Some tips- table from p19

• Have a look at the website of the relevant
  committee (via www.ohchr.org)
• Check the date that the UK is next due to report
  on the relevant treaty (see chapter 4).
• Find out if anyone else is planning to produce a
  report or is interested in getting involved.
• Have a look at the UKs previous reports and the
  concluding observations.
• Can you get hold of a copy of the Governments
  official report?
• Identify the issues that you want to raise, and
  recommendations on how the situation can be
  improved.
• Make sure the information you include is clear,
  relevant and concise.
• Remember to find out how and when to submit your
  report.

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Consultation

• What would help you or your organisation to use
  human rights?
• Would a network of like-minded people help
  support you / your organisation to use human
  rights?
• What barriers are there to using human rights?