What is a Bill of Rights?
A Bill of Rights is a legally enforceable agreement between a state and the people within it, of the fundamental or essential rights and freedoms that the government of the state must protect.
“...As people sat down to talk together, to debate, to argue about the sort of society that they are wanting to see replace, in being able to concentrate on things such as a Bill of Rights, they soon got to the point of realising that their erstwhile adversaries were human. They seemed to be longing for the same kinds of things as did those people whom they thought of as not normal. Very soon they were building consensus about their common dreams.”
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu (2001)
Why do we need a Bill of Rights?
Creating a new legal framework and rebuilding confidence in the legal system has proven to be an essential element of transition in societies all around the world. Various international examples from countries emerging from conflicts indicate that the process of creating a rights-based instrument represents an important fresh start.
Northern Ireland can learn much from these experiences. These processes, like the Bill of Rights debate here, can allow all sections of a divided society to come together and voice their views about what rights need to be protected in their post-conflict lives.
However Bills of Rights do not only emerge from conflict and at times of transition. Most societies have a document such as this, which sets out in a clear and accessible way, the constitutional limits to the exercise of power by the government of the day. Northern Ireland (and the UK generally) is an exception to the rule in this regard. It is time for Northern Ireland to join the international mainstream by adopting a Bill of Rights.
What is the Bill of Rights Forum?
The Bill of Rights Forum was set-up by the Northern Ireland Office in December 2006. It is tasked with making recommendations on the content of a Bill of Rights. These recommendations will be submitted to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Secretary of State by 31st March 2008. Following on from this, the next stage in delivering the Bill of Rights will likely be the legislative process through Westminster.
The Bill of Rights Forum consists of 14 members of civic society and 14 political representatives. It also has an independent Chair, making the final count of the ‘Forum’, 29 people.
The Human Rights Consortium has observer status at the Bill of Rights Forum meetings, allowing them to observe and report back to the wider membership and further afield on what is happening at the meetings.
What should the Bill of Rights contain?
A Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland should include the highest possible standards of human rights protection possible. It should include a combination of social, economic and cultural rights (e.g. education, an adequate standard of living and language) and civil and political rights (e.g. religion and voting rights).
The 120 members of the Human Rights Consortium campaign for a strong and inclusive Bill of Rights. That means:
Strong:
- No undermining of current international/regional human rights protections
- Recognisable gains, especially for the most disadvantaged
- Effective enforcement mechanisms
Inclusive:
- Represents the diversity that is Northern Ireland
- Promotes equality for all
- Moves beyond the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the Human Rights Act (HRA) to include, in particular, socio-economic rights
For more information on what this means, visit our Frequently Asked Questions.
What can you do to help our campaign?
Visit our Take Action page to write to your local MLAs and the Bill of Rights Forum to let them know what you’d like to see included in your Bill of Rights.
