New map of Human Rights Advice and Advocacy Services in Scotland
The Scottish Human Rights Commission publishes new research to map human rights-related advice and advocacy services in Scotland.
In partnership with the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland, the offices jointly commissioned research to better understand the availability of human rights-related advice and advocacy services for all in Scotland.
The research identified 262 services across Scotland that offer human rights-related advice and advocacy, but only 14% of this offering legal representation.
Current landscape
- The most common human rights issues covered include mental health, housing, disability, health, and social security or benefits.
- There are less services covering issues such as biometrics, AI, privacy, freedom of expression and workers’ rights.
- Significant gaps exist in legal representation with only 38 services across Scotland providing this.
- Research found significant geographic disparities in service accessibility, with rural areas facing access challenges due to distance and transportation issues. A high concentration of the services are located in central Scotland.
Read a factsheet summary of the research by clicking this link or find it on the Spotlight Projects/Access to Justice page of our website at www.scottishhumanrights.com.
Read the full report by clicking this link or find it on the Spotlight Projects/Access to Justice page of our website at www.scottishhumanrights.com.
Interactive tool
The Commission has also published two interactive maps that will be a useful online tool for those experiencing a human rights issue, making it easier to understand and navigate the advice and advocacy landscape to access assistance.
Third sector and public authorities can also use the research findings to advocate and plan for more comprehensive coverage of services which support people to access their human rights when they are facing problems.
Professor Angela O’Hagan is Chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission. She said:
“We know that people facing potential human rights violations often encounter significant barriers when trying to access justice, including lack of information about where to get advice, geographic disparities, and unmet need.
“Human rights law says that everyone has the right to access justice when things go wrong. That includes being able to access information, advice and advocacy on human rights.
“In a week where the Scottish Government has reneged on a commitment to strengthen human rights in Scots Law, this research tells us that too often in Scotland, people can’t find the information they need and don’t know where to turn for help. This puts access to justice for human rights problems beyond the reach of many people in Scotland.
“Together with the Children and Young People’s Commissioner, we wanted to understand where people in Scotland can turn to if they have problems in accessing their human rights and provide help navigating advice and advocacy services.”
For media enquires please email: media@scottishhumanrights.com
Notes to editors:
- The research was undertaken by Iconic Consulting on behalf of the Commission and the Children and Young People’s Commissioner for Scotland.
- You can read our Strategic Plan 2024-2028 on our website at www.scottishhumanrights.com.
- You can read our statement on the Human Rights Bill for Scotland.