Rights act has untapped potential

By Cathy Reay

There are still many areas where the potential of the Human Rights Act “remains largely untapped”, according to a new report* by a human rights body.

The British Institute of Human Rights (BIHR) released the report to mark the tenth anniversary of the act.

BIHR said it hoped the report would show the act was being used to make a difference to the everyday lives of disabled people and would inspire others to put disabled people’s human rights into practice.

The report includes 16 cases in which the act has been used to protect people’s rights, such as that of the disabled man who used the act to challenge the decision that he could not have a support worker with him in a gay pub.

It also describes the case of a young girl with learning difficulties, who was advised to take two buses to school every day, despite being unable to travel independently. Her mother challenged this decision using the Human Rights Act, and the girl was provided with her own school transport.

And it includes the case of a couple with learning difficulties who used the act to stop the use of CCTV cameras in their bedroom as a way of assessing their parenting skills.

Dr Rachel Hurst, director of Disability Awareness in Action and a prominent disability rights campaigner, welcomed the report but called on BIHR to do more to challenge the government on human rights.

*The Human Rights Act – Changing Lives; visit www.bihr.org.uk