Commission welcomes Scottish Government approach to migrant workers' rights

The Scottish Human Rights Commission has welcomed Scottish Government action on migrant workers' rights.

Professor Alan Miller, Chair of the Commission, said:

"The Commission welcomes action by the Scottish Government to advance human rights in its international engagement including on the issue of migrant workers' rights. This reflects commitments made in Scotland’s National Action Plan for Human Rights (SNAP), supported by the Scottish Parliament and Scottish civil society, that Scotland should seek to influence others to respect, protect and fulfil their international human rights obligations.

“This includes sharing good practice from Scotland’s own experiences of realising rights in practice, including the experience of developing a human rights policy for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. We would strongly encourage the Scottish Government to pursue all opportunities to secure a lasting legacy from this pioneering initiative – the first of its kind in Commonwealth history – for future major events around the world.

“Clearly there is much to be done to tackle the human rights violations experienced by many international migrants including forced labour, human trafficking and dangerous working conditions. The Commission will continue to engage with the Scottish Government and others, both through SNAP and as part of the International Human Rights Advisory Panel, to identify the most appropriate ways for Scotland to exert the greatest possible international influence on these issues."