The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission

1
The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission

• Case Study

2
History of the NIHRC

• The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is
  an independent organisation
• It started work on 1st March 1999 and was
  introduced as part of the Belfast (Good Friday)
  Agreement
• They help protect and promote the Human Rights of
  every citizen in Northern Ireland

3
Positions in the NIHRC

• Chief Commissioner (currently Professor Monica
  McWilliams)
• Nine part-time Commissioners
• Twenty-four members of staff divided into three
  Departments
• Communications and Education
• Legal Services, Policy and Research
• Corporate Services

4
What do they do to safeguard our Human Rights?

• They work to ensure that your human rights are
  protected by
• advising government on its obligation to uphold
  human rights
• reviewing law and practice to make sure they are
  in line with human rights standards
• putting forward proposals for new laws such as a
  Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland
• investigating matters of concern such as prison
  conditions, mental health care and racism
• promoting an awareness of human rights in, for
  example, schools and the police service
• taking cases to court to highlight alleged human
  rights abuses
• working with other organisations to promote human
  rights in Northern Ireland.

5
Education

• The NIHRC educate young people in schools about
  their work through Citizenship classes
• They advertise their work through posters and
  leaflets
• They work closely with the media and provide
  Press Releases about their work
• They get young people involved in their campaigns
  to promote Human Rights

6
Work with the Government

• All laws introduced by the Northern Ireland
  Assembly must be in line with the ECHR
• The NIHRC are working with the Northern Ireland
  Assembly to introduce a Bill of Rights for
  Northern Ireland
• They are currently campaigning in schools so
  young people have a voice in the introduction of
  the NI Bill of Rights

7
Advocacy

• Advocacy is about speaking out on issues to
  influence decisions
• The NIHRC speak out about the rights of people in
  Northern Ireland to affect change
• They want the NI Assembly, UK Government and the
  European Parliament to ensure that our voice is
  heard at a local, national and international level

8
Benefits Individual and Community

• The people in Northern Ireland know that all new
  laws are in line with the European Convention on
  Human Rights
• We know that the NIHRC protect and promote our
  rights
• We know if we feel our Human Rights are being
  violated we can seek advice and support from the
  NIHRC

9
How effective is the NIHRC?

• The NIHRC is very effective in protecting and
  promoting the Human Rights of all citizens in
  Northern Ireland
• We are very lucky that our Human Rights are
  protected in every new law introduced here
• With the work of the NIHRC we know that if
  someone is violating our Human Rights we are
  protected