Join us in Building a Human Rights Culture

Professor Monica McWilliams, NHRC Chief Commissioner, NHRC review, Spring 2007

Recent events such as the inquest into the death of Roseanne Irvine in prison and issues relating to collusion berween the state and paramilitary groups have underlined the work which still remains to be done in order to build a true human rights culture in Northern Ireland. With the approach of the 10th anniversary of the development of the Human Rights Act ("HRA") in 1998, we are reminded that the stated aspiration of the government when this legislation was introduced was that it would herald a fundamental change in the relationship between individuals and the state; a shift towards a genuine culture of human rights.

Some politicians and sections of the media have misunderstood the HRA and as a result the Commission, alongside many NGOs, has had to be extremely active in debunking misconceptions and myths. We believe much more could be done by government departments and public authorities in talking up the beneficial aspects of human rights legislation and ensuring compliance.  It is in this context that we particularly welcome the sentiments of Peter Hain, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, as expressed in this edition of our magazine, endorsing the value of this ground breaking legislation.

In my view, it is clear that a culture of human rights should not just focus on rights concerned with the neglect of duties and responsibilities, but rather promote a more dynamic concept of human rights which becomes an integral part of our dealings with public authorities and each other. \'Vhat we need is a widely shared sense of entitlement to human rights, and of respect for the rights of others, in which institutional policies and practices are influenced by these ideas.

The building of a human rights culture depends not just on courts awarding remedies for violations of individuals' rights, but on decision-makers in all public services internalising the obligations of human rights la\v, mainstreaming these standards into their policy and decision-making processes, and ensuring that the delivery of public services is fully informed by human rights considerations.

'Vhat is needed is the cultural transformation of our public sector, which was envisaged at the time the HRA was passed, and the importance of consistent positive leadership by Ministers and other opinionformers towards this objective.

Analogies can be made with the legislation on race and sex discrimination introduced in the 1970s. In my view, shifts in public perception about the unacceptability of sex and race discrimination have been at least as important in bringing about social and cultural change as the law itself. The challenge, for those who would wish to see the enduring establishment of a culture of human rights, is to build on the legal basis provided by the Human Rights Act in such a way as to take concepts of human rights beyond the legal sphere and into the currency of everyday life.

We need to go beyond policymakers, lawyers and the courts so that respect for human rights becomes part of the daily practice of those working in police stations, prisons, care homes, hospitals and social services departments. At a recent conference, it was good to hear a police officer state that he felt that his officers should meet together in the police station to discuss the human rights issues that arose out of their work in any particular week. In this way, he felt that the practical application of their training on human rights would be more easily understood. It was also good tohear a mental health practitioner state that she felt she was a much better professional as a result of applying human rights principles to the important everyday decisions she had to make in relation to her patients.

So I invite you to join With us in selling the good news story of how the HRA can make a positive change in our lives. The Commission hopes that in this new political dispensation, government and public authorities can take up this challenge to make a culture of rights a reality in Northern Ireland.