Human rights Flashcards
Civil Rights
These are rights and freedoms that are protected by the government, meaning the state must take action to ensure people are protected and allowed to carry out these rights freely and equally, regardless of origin, nationality or ethnicity.
Right to life, right to vote, equal treatment and education.
Civil liberties
The rights and freedoms enjoyed by the citizens that protect from unfair and arbitrary treatment by the state and government. They are also those freedoms that are garunteed by the state and the consitution.
Freedom of speech, assemby, press, right to trial etc.
Human Rights Act 1998
- The HRA made rights more radily available by esnuring that british citizens could bring rights cases to UK courts, the courts can challenge acts of parliament and issue declerations of incompatabiltiy.
- The HRA placed a legal duty on all public insitutions such as NHS bodies, the police, central government departments to respect and protect rights.
- Increased public awareness of human rights, placing civil liberties in one document helps people understnad their rights so they can challenge decisions and be treaded with equality.
Freedom of information act 2001
The freedom of information act allows the public access to information held by public authorities.
The aim was to generate a more open government, where decisions involving spending taxpayers money and affect peoples lives should be open to scrutiny.
Between 2005 and 2015 there have been over 400,000 requeests under the Act by the central government, with around 90,000 requests being denied as they were not deemed in the public interest.
Equality Act 2010
This brought 116 pieces of legislation on discrimination together into one act to make the law easier to understand and to strengthen protection in certain areas. The act lays out the different ways in which its unlawful to treat someone in the workplace and wider society.
Nine characterstics are protected under the act including age, disablility, pregnancy, civil partnership.
