Human Rights Based Approach

The Panel Principles

Taking a human rights based approach is about making sure that people's rights are put at the very centre of policies and practices. The PANEL principles are one way of breaking down what this means in practice. These are: Participation, Accountability, Non-Discrimination, Empowerment and Legality.

Find out more about the PANEL Principles in our explainer video.

Participation

Accountability

Non-Discrimination and Equality

Empowerment

Legality

Self-Assessment Toolkit

Read through our Self-Assessment Toolkit to find out more about how to embed a human rights based approach in your work, project, organisation or campaign.

Case Study: Housing Rights in Practice

Housing Rights in Practice was a project run by the Commission and others as part of SNAP - Scotland’s National Action Plan for Human Rights. It ran from 2015 to 2019.

The project aimed to empower people to tackle substandard housing and living conditions by using human rights. Our final report from the Housing Rights in Practice Project captures the steps taken throughout the project, evaluates the impact achieved and shares the lessons learned along the way.

Case Studies: Health and Social Care

Read Human Rights - Putting it Into Practice, a series of case studies showing a human rights based approach in action.

The guide gives case study examples, drawn from Scotland’s voluntary and community sectors, of a human rights based approach to the design and delivery of a range of services including advocacy, dementia care, mental health and abuse prevention.

Case Studies: Scotland's National Action Plan for Human Rights

These case studies show how different organisations have put a human rights based approach into practice in their work. They were produced by the Commission with support from various partners, as part of Scotland's National Action Plan for Human Rights.

You can download more detail about these case studies below.

Human Rights in Practice - Housing (PDF)