Commission welcomes UN recommendations on human rights concerns

​The Scottish Human Rights Commission has today strongly welcomed a report by the United Nations Human Rights Committee, setting out a series of recommendations to address human rights concerns in Scotland. 

In its latest review of the UK’s implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the UN Human Rights Committee has recommended action to address several gaps in protection for human rights that have been raised by the Commission over the past year.

Commenting on the Committee’s report, Professor Alan Miller, Chair of the Commission said:

“Scotland generally performs well when it comes to human rights. But gaps still exist when it comes to a series of important issues that affect people in everyday life. These  include unlawful police stop and search, high suicide rates, the continued use of corporal punishment in the home and problems securing access to justice.

“The Commission is therefore extremely pleased that the UN Human Rights Committee has taken on board our evidence on these and other issues. Its robust recommendations should now be addressed by the Scottish and UK Governments. The Scottish Parliament should also consider the role it can play on those issues where it has a remit to act.

“The Commission will share the report’s findings and recommendations with civil society and the wider public. As Scotland’s national human rights institution, we will continue to hold all concerned to account by monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the Committee’s recommendations.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

  1. The Scottish Human Rights Commission is an independent public body with a remit to promote and protect human rights for everyone in Scotland. It is accredited as an “A status” national human rights institution within the UN system, which gives it the right to report directly to the UN on human rights issues affecting people in Scotland.
  2. The Commission submitted a full report on a range of human rights issues to the United Nations Human Rights Committee as part of the 7th Periodic Review of the United Kingdom’s implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The Committee’s Concluding Observations were published online on 23 July 2015.
  3. The Commission has published a full statement responding to the Committee's report.