Tag: Scottish Human Rights Commission

‘On behalf of Scotland, we are sorry’: Recognising the legacy of the ‘Tinker Experiments’

First Minister announces formal apology for historical policies

First Minister John Swinney has told Parliament that policies historically applied to Gypsy/Traveller individuals and families were unacceptable and has formally apologised to those communities.

Responding to the publication of research into how Gypsy/Traveller communities were affected by the so-called ‘Tinker Experiments’, Mr Swinney said that while the policies are no longer in effect, and pre-date the Scottish Parliament, they caused significant and lasting trauma to families.

Unjust attitudes and practices resulted in children being removed from Gypsy/Traveller families and families being forced to live in substandard accommodation and degrading conditions.

Extending a formal apology to those affected, Mr Swinney said the Scottish Government is whole-heartedly committed to ensuring mistakes are not repeated in its current and future work.

The First Minister said: “It seems clear to me that stark prejudice and lack of cultural awareness led to a series of unfair and unjust policies. Policies that resulted in children being removed from families, and families  being forced to live in substandard accommodation and degrading conditions.

“The trauma that this has caused to individuals, families and groups, including those who regard themselves as ‘victims of Tinker Experiments’, is significant and lasting.

“So, as First Minister, I want to say this directly to Gypsy/Traveller communities: The ‘Tinker Experiments’ should not have happened. It was wrong. And we recognise how much it is still hurting so many. And more than anything else I want to say this. On behalf of Scotland, we are sorry.”

Clare MacGillivray, Director of Making Rights Real said: “We welcome the Scottish Government’s apology to victims of the Tinker Experiments. 

“This feels like a pivotal moment in the victims’ courageous quest for justice. Roseanna and Shamus McPhee has campaigned for an apology for many years- they have worked tirelessly to shine a light on the hidden history of how Gypsy Travellers suffered egregious human rights abuses over many generations.

“Last year the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination recommended that “the State party, including the government of Scotland, adopt all measures necessary to tackle the causes and legacy of the forced assimilation of Gypsy and Traveller communities”. 

“We look forward to the Scottish Government taking further steps to provide redress to the victims.”

THE Scottish Human Rights Commission has also welcomed the apology. They said: “The Scottish Human Rights Commission welcomes the apology from the Scottish Government to members of the Gypsy Traveller Community for the ‘Tinker Experiment’. 

“Victims of the experiment, alongside organisations like RAJPOT, have long campaigned for recognition of this issue and an apology is an important first step towards redress for historic injustice.

“We will publish our human framework analysis and steps to full redress in November 2025 and we look forward to continuing to engage with victims of the experiment and human rights defenders on this topic.

“Once completed we will share our findings with both the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government to ensure redress is delivered.”

Scotland’s human rights watchdog launches four year plan

The Scottish Human Rights Commission publishes its Strategic Plan for 2024 – 2028

The plan, which has been laid before the Scottish Parliament, identifies our priorities for the next four years and explains what the Commission will do to promote and protect human rights in Scotland. 

It outlines how we will use our powers to build our role and profile as Scotland’s human rights watchdog, to investigate human rights violations, to hold those responsible accountable for making sure those rights are realised, and support public bodies to do better.

Our three priorities are:

  • To use and extend our powers to make sure there are stronger human rights protections for everyone in Scotland. This means we can hold those responsible to account when things go wrong.
  • To engage more people in communities across Scotland in our work, so that everything we do is informed by people’s direct experience of human rights issues.
  • To monitor and report on how human rights are being experienced in Scotland and play our part in creating a stronger human rights culture.

Using evidence gathered in our own monitoring, and through our direct engagement with people in different communities, we identify four key priority issues.

These are where we believe there is a need for the Commission to focus on over the next four years:

  1. The impact of poverty on human rights
  2. Human rights in places of detention
  3. Access to Justice
  4. Rights to remedy for groups who have special protections under international human rights treaties.

Jim Farish, Shelley Gray and Claire Methven O’Brien, Members of the Scottish Human Rights Commission, said: “We have detailed our ambition to lead this organisation out into communities; to talk, to listen and find out how well human rights are being realised in Scotland. This will inform our decisions on how we will use our powers and resources over the next four years. 

“The Commission will focus its efforts on being a strong watchdog for everyone’s human rights in Scotland. This means holding power to account where things go wrong, and supporting public bodies to do better with our help.  We have identified four areas where we believe stronger focus is needed – on poverty, in places of detention, in access to justice, and on the rights of groups of people most at risk.

“The development of a new Human Rights Bill presents a key moment in shaping how public services are designed and delivered to uphold people’s human rights.  We will prioritise work to scrutinise and support that process to best serve the people of Scotland, and to ensure that as a Commission, we have the powers and duties to do the best job we can in upholding human rights.”

scottish-human-rights-commission-strategic-plan-2024-28Download

You can read our Strategic Plan 2024-28 by clicking this link or it is available on the publications page of our website at www.scottishhumanrights.com

And Easy Read version is available on the publications page of our website.

The plan is available in BSL on our YouTube channel where we are @ScottishHumanRights.

LIFTing the lid on Scotland’s new social security system

LIFT (Low Income Families Together) organised an event to give local people an opportunity to learn more about the ongoing changes to the welfare and benefits system yesterday. Around sixty people attended the Scotland’s New Social Security System: What Does It Mean for You? conference in Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre yesterday. Continue reading LIFTing the lid on Scotland’s new social security system

Jeane Freeman to speak at LIFT event

Scotland’s new social security sytem: what does it mean to you?

Scotland’s Minister for Social Security Jeane Freeman MSP and Judith Robertson, Chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission, are to address an event in Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre on 15th May. Continue reading Jeane Freeman to speak at LIFT event