Tag: human rights

Police Scotland: COP26 has been a ‘widely positive experience’

As COP26 arrives at its half way point, Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie looks ahead to the second week while praising both protesters and police.

Assistant Chief Constable Ritchie said yesterday: “For such a highly significant event, to reach the end of the first week with fewer than 50 arrests being made is testament to the fact the relationship between protesters and the police has been largely non-contentious.

“Despite today being a rest day at the conference, Police Scotland has, once again, engaged positively with protest organisers and attendees at a number of events across Glasgow, with minimum disruption to the wider community.

“As you’ll no doubt know, Police Scotland has spent more than 18 months preparing for COP26, and a great deal of effort has gone into ensuring our policing plan is robust but reactive, but also welcoming while balancing the right to protest with the rights of our communities.

“All of our work is underpinned by human rights and a great deal of effort has been taken to ensure our response to COP26-related  incidents and events is necessary and proportionate, and that our ethos and values of integrity, fairness and respect is shared by both our own officers and our mutual aid colleagues who have travelled to Scotland from across the UK to support us.

“This event has already provided us with some unique challenges, but our officers and staff have risen to face them, and the broadly good nature of the members of the public we are interacting with has made this a widely positive experience.

“I very much hope this atmosphere continues into the second week ahead of COP26 coming to its conclusion next weekend.”

Police must allow young people to protest peacefully at COP-26, says Children’s Commissioner

Children’s Commissioner Bruce Adamson is urging police to treat young people peacefully protesting at COP-26 with respect and dignity – and has reminded them that children’s rights must be upheld for everyone under 18.

To support this approach, the Commissioner’s office has published a human rights guide today  ‘Under 18? Your Human Rights at Protests: What you need to know’ for children who plan to make their voices heard at the UN climate summit in Glasgow.

The guide has been used as part of Police Scotland’s training for COP-26 and was informed by children’s views and experiences.

Bruce Adamson, Children and Young People’s Commissioner said: “I have written to Police Scotland and have received strong commitments that they will facilitate peaceful protest with human rights at the heart of their approach, and it is important that this happens.

“Police officers have a duty to uphold children’s human rights during COP-26, which include the rights to peaceful assembly and association, alongside their rights to expression, participation, information and protection.”

Climate justice has been consistently raised by children and young people as one of their biggest human rights concerns.

Emma, 16, a Young Adviser to the Commissioner, said: “The right to protest is important as it gives people the opportunity to create change. It gives us a voice and the ability to hold institutions accountable for their actions.

“It is one of the only ways young people can be heard and immediately have a connection with one another, creating a sense of unity. It promotes equality and allows for individuals and groups views to have a chance to be recognised.  The information in this guide about our rights to protest is really useful as we make our voices heard at COP-26 and beyond.”

The Commissioner added: “Children have shown incredible leadership on the issue of climate justice and continue to act as human rights defenders for everyone’s rights across Scotland and internationally.

“They have led powerful, peaceful movements in the streets, for example during school strikes, online, and in court. It is essential that children and young people are empowered to participate and engage in their right to peaceful protest.”

The Commissioner’s guide includes rights information and support, in the event of a child under 18 being arrested or detained by police.

Mr Adamson said: “Arresting a child should always be a measure of last resort, however, it may happen, and children need to know their rights if it does. We’ve included information about children’s rights to contact their family, social worker and to speak to a lawyer, to complain and to ask for release. Any child arrested or detained must be treated with human dignity and respect.”  

The Commissioner repeated his call that no child should be punished for taking part in peaceful protests: “There must be no reprisals or sanctions for children who peacefully protest during COP-26 and schools should support children to participate in the opportunities that COP-26 affords them.”

Your-Human-Rights-at-ProtestsDownload

First Minister announces 2,000 jobs at Social Security Scotland

More than 2,000 jobs will be created with Social Security Scotland over the next 12 months, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced.

Recruitment will start in October for staff to support the delivery of benefits due to be introduced next year, including the Adult Disability Payment – the Scottish Government’s replacement for the Personal Independence Payment.

The majority of the new roles will be based in Social Security Scotland’s Dundee head office and Glasgow, to take calls from clients and process applications for Scottish benefits.

The remainder will be based across the country to provide face-to-face advice for people applying in the way that would suit them best, whether that is online, by phone, by post or in person.

The First Minister said: “Social security is a human right and a collective investment in the people of this country now and for future generations.

“These roles come at a critical time in Scotland’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and our investment will go beyond the money that we will pay in benefits. When we have introduced all our new benefits and moved clients from the DWP to Social Security Scotland, our new social security service will employ more than 3,500 people. This will provide secure, long-term employment in Dundee, Glasgow and across the country and deliver a positive economic impact of £280 million for our economy.

“We are committed to creating a diverse workforce to provide this public service. Having people from a wide range of backgrounds will help deliver the best service and ensure that we do things differently and treat people with dignity, fairness and respect.”

Social Security Scotland’s Chief Executive David Wallace said: “Social Security Scotland opened its doors in September 2018, and we are already delivering 11 benefits – seven of which are brand new. We know that our clients value our service as we have a 90% satisfaction rating.

“As we welcome more than 2,000 additional staff to deliver new benefits and a high-quality service, we are committed to increasing diversity in the organisation so we reflect the clients we are here to serve and their lived experience.

“We are delighted to be able to create more jobs in Glasgow and to our head office in Dundee and I look forward to welcoming colleagues into Agnes Husband House in 2022.

“We are a Living Wage, Disability Confident and Carer Positive employer. We proudly support the Fair Start Scotland programme and have committed to offering 100 roles as part of Young Persons Guarantee in 2021/22.”

People can find the latest vacancies and sign up for job alerts at:

socialsecurity.gov.scot/jobs  

Children’s Commissioners urge UK Government to stop violating children’s rights to an adequate standard of living

The Children’s Commissioners of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have repeated their calls to the UK Government to end its two-child limit on Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit warning that the policy continues to violate children’s human rights. 

All three have also called on the UK Government to abandon the scrapping of the £20 uplift, which would compound the poverty issues facing children across the nations, and urge the prioritisation of children’s rights in any further changes to Universal Credit.  

Giving evidence yesterday  (Wednesday, September 8) to the Public Services Committee at the House of Lords, the Commissioners again pointed out that the two-child limit policy – which disallows benefits payments to third and subsequent children born after April 2017 in most circumstances – is a discriminatory policy contrary to the government’s obligations under the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child.  

Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Sally Holland said: “We remain deeply concerned that the two-child policy and the scrapping of the £20 uplift breaches childen’s rights to an adequate standard of living and is contributing to a rising gap in poverty levels between families with three or more children and smaller households.  

“The two-child limit in particular has a disproportionate impact on social groups where larger families are more common, such as some minority faith and ethnic groups and in Northern Ireland where families are larger than the rest of the UK.”  

The Commissioners – Bruce Adamson for Scotland, Sally Holland for Wales, and Koulla Yiasouma for Northern Ireland – remain concerned that UK benefit rules prevent devolved governments from fully tackling child poverty.   

Speaking after the Committee session, Children and Young People’s Commissioner for Scotland, Bruce Adamson said: “The Scottish Government had an opportunity yesterday within the Programme for Government to do all that it can to mitigate against the worse of the UK Government’s benefit rules.

“While new commitments on housing, food and the new Whole Family Wellbeing Fund are welcome, not increasing the Scottish Child Payment with immediate effect was hugely concerning as children need this money now.

“Poverty is a human rights issue and while UK benefit rules continue to play a significant part in keeping families in poverty, the Scottish Government plays an important role in ensuring children’s rights are met. The effects of the pandemic – which are still becoming clear – have only served to make a dire situation worse for those in poverty or only just getting by. Both governments must do more.”

Commissioner Sally Holland said: “Children are hungry and living in sub-standard housing in the UK in 2021 and that is a disgrace. Poverty affects every aspect of a child’s life, from their health – both physical and mental – to their education. How can a child concentrate properly at school and learn if they are hungry? 

“The State has an obligation to children and every child has the right to an adequate standard of living. Families have a right to social security. These polices are a clear breach of children’s human rights.”  

  In May, the Children’s Commissioners of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland wrote an open letter to the Right Honourable Thérèse Coffey, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, calling for an end to the two-child limit of Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit and for the £20 uplift in universal credit amounts to be maintained.  

Funding to support equality and human rights

Additional £1 million annually for third sector organisations

Organisations across Scotland will share £21 million funding over three years to advance human rights, promote equality and tackle discrimination.

A total of 48 organisations – including five specialist human rights organisations – will benefit from the new Equality and Human Rights Fund.

Overall, this new three-year programme will provide an additional £1 million per year for organisations dedicated to tackling inequality and discrimination, furthering equality and advancing the realisation of human rights in Scotland.

One of the charities set to receive funding for the first time is Civil Rights First, which provides specialist legal advice and representation to people with protected characteristics such as ethnicity, age or disability.

Five human rights organisations receiving additional funding for the first time are: Civic Rights First, Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland (ERCS), Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector, JustRight Scotland SCIO and The Poverty Alliance.

Other organisations include Intercultural Youth Scotland, Generations Working Together and Neighbourhood Networks in Scotland.

Equalities Minister Christina McKelvie said: “We want to build a fairer, more equal Scotland which is free from discrimination and where the human rights of everyone are respected, protected and fulfilled.

“Equality and human rights are at the heart of all we do. As we ease out of the pandemic, we are providing an annual increase of £1 million to support the vital efforts of these expert organisations to strengthen communities, further equality, and advance human rights of people across the country.”

Dionne McCabe, Trustee of Civil Rights First, said: “This funding award, made in recognition of our specialist service delivery, is a significant step for our small charity in delivering to the most vulnerable with access to justice and a step change in growth across Scotland.

“We look forward to making a real difference with positive outcomes for vulnerable people.”

A spokesperson for the Poverty Alliance said: “We are delighted to be one of the organisations awarded funding by the Equality and Human Rights Fund.

“Rights in Action, our funded project, will support organisations and individuals to better understand and use their economic, social and cultural rights to address poverty.

Celia Tennant, Chief Executive of Inspiring Scotland, which manages the fund on behalf of the Scottish Government, said:  “Everyone in Scotland deserves, and has a right, to live their life to their maximum ability, to contribute to society in the widest terms, and to have full self-determination.

“The large number of strong applicants to the fund demonstrates the depth of commitment from the third sector. We look forward to working with the diverse range of funded groups to share challenges, develop solutions and amplify learning.”

The Equality and Human Rights Fund is a new programme that supports organisations that deliver work focussed on tackling inequality and discrimination, furthering equality, and advancing the realisation of human rights in Scotland.

Coming of Age: Edinburgh’s Just Festival celebrates 21st year with Bumper Programme

Free to attend programme online and at St. John’s Church, Princes Street from 6th – 30th August

Edinburgh’s social justice and human rights festival is coming of age this summer with its biggest event yet.

Among the headline offerings are a poignant new choral work, No Alleluias: A Requiem for 2020, specially commissioned to celebrate the festival’s 21st birthday and an online appearance by former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen (below) who spent several weeks in intensive care after contracting Covid-19.

Both reflect on the extraordinary experiences faced during the past year and Rosen – “not dead yet,” he says – considers how we can emerge from the pandemic with a more equal future.

Originally established as the Festival of Spirituality and Peace, Just Festival celebrates humanity in all its differences and encourages the exploration of new perspectives in the hope of reducing religious, political and social intolerance.

Festival director Helen Trew says: “The last year has shattered many illusions and laid bare the inequality at the heart of our society.  So, as we come of age, it is time to put our shoulder to the wheel of a better, fairer, inclusive future for us all.”

Running from 6th – 30th August, the festival features a range of innovative events and art installations presented, through a blend of digital discussion and performance plus live audience event, in St John’s Church and the surrounding area.

The No Alleluias requiem, a mix of live and virtual choir,  was inspired by preacher and theologian Rev Dr Karen George Thompson and describes her experience of last Easter Sunday.

Having lost her father to Covid and been infected with the virus herself, she also saw her community suffer and found the uplifting Easter message replaced with melancholy.

The resulting choral work, composed by Anthony Hammond with lyrics by Robert Rae, is an extraordinarily moving piece and will help close this year’s festival.

The programme also includes:

  • a live installation of Peace Cranes when 140,000 origami birds will be positioned throughout St John’s Church as symbols of hope for inter-generational justice and a call for a solution to the nuclear and climate emergencies;
  • Photography under Siege, an exhibition of photographer Mahmoud al Khurd’s images of life in Gaza today and an evening of music and conversation with Northern Irish peace activist Tommy Sands.
  • And the Cabaret of Dangerous ideas returns this year, looking at issues including children’s access to nature and outdoor play, debating whether we need to-re-wild youngsters.

With the exception of the No Alleluias performance, all events are free to attend, although a donation is suggested to support the festival whose main sponsors this year are Elephants in Action, a part of ELE Global, with support from EventScotland, Scotland’s Events Recovery Fund and the Culture & Business Fund Scotland, managed by Arts & Business Scotland. 

Helen Foord, CEO and founder of ELE Global comments: “The team is delighted to be supporting Just Festival again, helping to celebrate 21 fantastic years.

“And we’re proud to be associated with an event whose values of tolerance and encouraging new ways of looking at the world are ever more important in these challenging times.”

Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, said: “The Just Festival is a timely event that I am sure will spark engaging debate while offering a welcome return to in-person experiences for audiences alongside its impressive virtual programme and I am delighted that EventScotland has been able to support it through Scotland’s Events Recovery Fund.”

For more information visit https://www.just-festival.org

STUC calls on UK and Scottish Governments to condemn Israeli action in Palestine

The STUC has called on the UK and Scottish Governments to condemn the action of the Israeli Government in occupied East Jerusalem, including forced relocation through the demolition of Palestinian homes in Sheikh Jarrah to create new settlements.

Pointing to the criticism of the actions from the United Nations, STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said: “The whole world is watching events in Israel and Palestine. Most of the world is clear that the actions of the Israeli state are both wrong and a breach of human rights.

“It is time for our governments, and political leaders, to speak out. The historic Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank and its encouragement of illegal and often violent settler activity is a disgrace.

“We have an international duty both to our Palestinian trade union sisters and brothers, and to peace and justice more generally, to offer solidarity and campaign against the repressive actions of the Israeli state.”

Scotland responds to UN’s poverty call

The Scottish Government has welcomed a call from the United Nations for urgent action to tackle deepening food insecurity, poverty and injustice in the UK.

A report published today sets out the actions being taken in Scotland to protect human rights and ensure access to food for people on low incomes.

It comes in response to concerns raised last year with the UK Government by two leading international experts who act as Special Rapporteurs to the UN Human Rights Council.

Professor Michael Fakhri and Professor Olivier De Schutter wrote to UK Ministers last August about an alarming increase in food insecurity and poverty in the UK. They requested a response within 60 days.

Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said: “The UN’s analysis has pointed to the systematic failings of the UK welfare system that have left people in hardship and crisis.

“Far too many people have experienced austerity, hunger and destitution as a direct consequence of UK Government policies and I am disappointed it has not yet issued a formal response to highlight how this will be tackled.

“Our detailed report highlights bold measures to put more money in people’s pockets, including our game-changing new Scottish Child Payment and our commitment to the Fair Work Action Plan and promoting the real Living Wage.

“The Scottish Government has now committed more than half a billion in social protection since the onset of the pandemic, including £130 million targeted at tackling food insecurity.

“However as long as key levers to move the dial on poverty and inequality remain at Westminster, the Scottish Government will continue to call on the UK Government to make the changes required to protect us all so we end the need for food banks and ensure everyone can afford to buy the food they need.”

Peter Kelly, Director of the Poverty Alliance, said: “Even before the pandemic began, significant numbers of people in Scotland were experiencing food insecurity. Over the last year we have seen many more swept into poverty.

“The Scottish Government’s report highlights that a ‘cash first’ response is the right approach, whether to replace Free School Meal provision or to make more crisis grants available to those who need them.

“Boosting incomes is critical to reducing food insecurity over the long term. Investing in the UK social security system will prevent more people being set adrift. Retaining the £20 uplift to Universal Credit next month will help loosen the grip of poverty and will act as a financial lifeline for thousands.”

The Scottish Government report can be read in full here.

Human rights should be central to budget decisions post-Covid, say MSPs

A Holyrood Committee has called on the Scottish Government to set out how it intends to address the disproportionately negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic on protected groups, such as women and young people as well as disabled people and black and minority ethnic communities, in its post-Covid economic recovery plan.

As part of the Scottish Parliament’s Equalities and Human Rights Committee pre-budget scrutiny, MSPs heard evidence from a range of organisations on the financial implications of Covid-19 on local authorities and third sector equalities organisations and how health and social inequalities exacerbated by Covid-19 can be addressed in Scotland’s economic recovery.

In a letter to the Minister for Older People and Equalities, Christina McKelvie MSP, the Committee called for human rights-based approach to budgeting, with more effective targeting of resources.

Committee Convener, Ruth Maguire MSP said: “The Committee is acutely aware that the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing health and social inequalities, increasing the demand on third sector support services and, as the crisis continues, placing increased pressure on public services.

“We are therefore asking the Scottish Government to commit to providing further financial support for the third sector in the longer-term to take pressure away from public services, over and above the emergency funding provided.

“An equality and human rights-based approach to public spending, grounded in high quality evidence and placed at the heart of decision-making, should be the cornerstone of this year’s budget. This would give the Committee confidence that already disadvantaged people would not be forgotten, that there would not be unintended consequences, and equalities impacts could be properly addressed.

“We are calling on the Scottish Government to clearly set out the specific actions it intends to take in its Economic Implementation Recovery Plan to address the gendered impact of the pandemic, as well as for other protected groups such as disabled, BME and young people.

“The Committee is also seeking assurance that childcare will be treated as an economic issue and that the role of unpaid carers more generally will be translated into actions in the Recovery Plan.”

MSPs acknowledged that the Scottish Government had introduced new measures to monitor the impact of spending decisions on sex, race, disability and socio‑economic disadvantage, but heard evidence that Scotland was falling behind compared with international comparators.

The letter states: “The Committee very much hopes the new measures put in place by the Scottish Government will have the desired impact, however, we recognise we are coming to the end of the Parliamentary session and so it will be for another committee to continue to scrutinise whether these measures have worked.

“For this reason, the Committee intends in its legacy report to emphasise in the strongest terms to the future committee that if there has not been significant change on mainstreaming, the new committee should consider whether legislating is a viable option to promote change more quickly.”

The full letter is available here.

MSPs seeks views on financial impact of Covid-19 on human rights budgets

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on future public spending decisions to protect equalities and human rights in Scotland is to be considered by a Holyrood Committee.

The Scottish Parliament’s Equalities and Human Rights (EHRi) Committee has issued a call for views on the financial implications arising from Covid-19, including the impact on funding of third sector organisations which support people to be treated equally and to access their rights.

MSPs will focus on how inequalities highlighted by the public health emergency and the response to the crisis can be addressed in Scotland’s economic recovery.

The Committee also seeks views on what more can be done to ensure equalities and human rights are central to Scottish Government budget decisions.

Committee Convener, Ruth Maguire MSP, said: “As this committee’s on-going inquiry into the impact of Covid-19 on equalities and human rights has shown, it is some of society’s most vulnerable groups who have experienced disproportionately negative effects as a result of the virus and as a consequence of the lockdown measures imposed.

“Covid-19 has exacerbated existing inequalities in Scotland, but it has also shown that positive outcomes can be achieved with targeted funding to support individuals and particular groups.

“Now that we are moving out of the crisis and restarting the economy, we want to hear how the pandemic has affected funding to support people to access their rights and ensure they are treated equally.

“We also want to explore how the Scottish Government considers equalities and human rights when it makes budget decisions. We want to know what actions should be taken and what data collected to make this happen more effectively, to address the unequal impact of Covid-19 on specific groups and tackle long-standing health and social inequalities in Scotland.”

The closing date for responses to the call for views is Friday 18 September 2020.

The Committee is are looking for information about the following questions:

1. Last year we were successful in getting the Scottish Government to commit to increasing the Equalities and Human Rights allocation to £30.2m. What is this extra money being used for and is it enough?

2. During last year’s budget scrutiny, we found that spending decisions were sometimes being made without due consideration to equality impact assessments. With unprecedented levels of grants being provided to the private and third sectors over the past six months in response to COVID 19, how confident is the third sector and other stakeholders that money is being committed only after due consideration is given to equality impacts?

3. In the Scottish Government’s response to the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery, the Scottish Government has committed (p.69-70) to “recognise the necessity of embedding an Equalities and Human Rights approach across our policy thinking and development for economic recovery and renewal.” It has listed what it’s done so far to help meet this commitment and what it intends to do in the near future. What more should be done and how can the 2021-22 budget contribute?

4. Any other relevant comments?