What are Spotlight Projects?
As Scotland’s human rights watchdog, it’s our job to monitor, protect, and promote human rights. Our Spotlight Projects shine a light on key human rights issues in Scotland which are of particular concern to the Commission and take a deeper look at how best to address them.
Recommend
Recommend changes to law, policy and practice.
Promote
Raise awareness of rights through education, training and publishing research.
Protect
Conduct inquiries into the policies and practices of Scottish public authorities.
What projects are we working on?
How do we decide on which issues to spotlight?
The Commission is a small public body with a broad remit and strong ambition, so we must decide carefully how to prioritise our limited resources to secure a positive impact on human rights in Scotland.
The current projects were chosen using a rigorous, evidence-based decision making framework which identified and assessed priority areas of work. This framework is detailed in our Operational Plan 2024-25.
We are currently scoping out future Spotlight Projects which will be based on the priority areas identified in our 2024-28 Strategic Plan, which was informed by consultations with rights holders, civil society and key stakeholders.
These priorities are:
Impact of poverty
Places of detention
Access to justice
Rights most at risk
How to get involved
We are committed to working alongside people and communities, to document and bear witness to their experiences. All our Spotlight Projects are informed by the experiences of rights holders, but opportunities for participation depend on the project. To find out more about getting involved in a specific project, contact us on hello@scottishhumanrights.com
Contacting us about media enquiries relating to a Spotlight Project
For media enquiries about any of our Spotlight Projects, please contact media@scottishhumanrights.com
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Highlands and Islands Spotlight Project Lead Luis Yanes smiles with a human rights defender outside of the Recovery Hub and Community Network in Shetland
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Highlands and Islands Spotlight Lead Luis Yanes and colleague Dr Alison Hosie sit across a table from Channel 4’s Kathryn Samson. A camera operators stands recording the conversation.
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