Human Rights Day 2024
On Tuesday 10th December 2024, we invited parliamentarians, community groups and human rights advocates from across the UK to join us in the House of Lords to celebrate Human Rights Day 2024 and the 75th anniversary of the Council of Europe - the organisation responsible for the European Convention on Human Rights.
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We heard speeches from Lord Ponsonby, Parliamentary Under-Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, as well as six community groups that have worked with BIHR as part of our three-year Community Programme to create human rights solutions to social justice issues they face in their everyday lives and work.
Click on the cover of each resource below to see the resources
Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson
Chairing the event was BIHR Trustee Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson. She opened the event by welcoming guests and sharing that alongside the annual celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, this year also marked the 75th anniversary of the Council of Europe - the organisation responsible for the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). She reflected that the same spirit of co-operation and community required for the ECHR to function is reflected in the work of the community groups speaking at the event as they supported those around them to understand and claim their human rights.
Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
We then heard from Lord Ponsonby, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Ministry of Justice with responsibility for human rights. Lord Ponsonby shared the UK Government's commitment to upholding human rights for people across the UK and to continuing participation in the ECHR. He emphasised the importance of human rights advocacy, saying that in order for human rights to be able to protect us, we need first to protect them.
Annie Smith
Annie Smith, Senior Human Rights Officer at BIHR, then introduced the Community Programme and the co-design project. This project involves BIHR working alongside community organisations to develop a practical and hopefully powerful resource which will enable them to use human rights advocacy to support and strengthen their work.
Mimi Unamoyo
The first community member to speak was Mimi Unamoyo of Bomoko NI. They have been working with BIHR to create a pocket-sized guide to human rights and housing for women seeking asylum and refuge in Northern Ireland. The guide has also been translated into Arabic and Somali and is available in a digital version. Mimi shared how important it is for people to have access to these practical and tailored tools to support them in their interactions with public services.
Councillor Faith Gakanje-Ajala
Next up was Councillor Faith Gakanje-Ajala from African Women Empowerment Forum. They have been working with BIHR to create a booklet designed to help women seeking asylum and refugee to access culturally appropriate support services. Councillor Faith reflected on her own experience of navigating the UK asylum system and the need for greater awareness of and understanding of human rights.
Harriet Matthews, Stuart Bowen & Jenny Mushiringani Monjero
Harriet Matthews, Stuart Bowen & Jenny Mushiringani Monjero from Cwm Taf People First then shared their Easy Read human rights card game, the Game of Rights. This was created to support adults with learning disabilities to know and claim their rights. They talked about the importance of having accessible materials that support people to be involved in decisions about their own lives and to empower them to claim their rights.
Lucy Fullard
Lucy Fullard from Parent & Carers Alliance CIC then shared the work they have been doing with BIHR to create written and video resources for families and supporters accessing special educational needs and disability services. She said that, "to our knowledge this is the first guide, specifically for all the family with disabled children, to be able to use their human rights in this country. We believe this guide will make a huge difference."
Fairuz Choudhury & Joe Powell
We then heard from two speakers from community groups that have participated in the Community Programme in previous years: Fairuz Choudhury from Hopscotch Women's Centre and Joe Powell from All Wales People First. They shared the long-term impact of the resources they created, including a guide to human rights for Hopscotch staff and an Easy Read guide for adults with learning disabilities.
Sanchita Hosali
BIHR's CEO Sanchita Hosali then finished the speeches by sharing her insights on the importance of supporting and funding work directly with community groups. She also shared some words from BIHR funder AB Charitable Trust: "As funders we have a responsibility to recognise our role in supporting the ecosystem of work which defends, promotes and protects our human rights framework – including the everyday implementation and recognition of these rights in people’s lives."
Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson
In closing, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson shared BIHR's hopes that the resources launched at the event would serve as tools and inspiration to support others to take steps to champion human rights. She encouraged attendees to start by signing up to the Human Rights Action Plan, created by BIHR and the RITES Committee. This includes ideas to help everyone – individual, community group member, public body worker or policymaker – to sign up to take everyday actions to help make human rights real across the UK.