On Thursday 16 July, we hosted our Summer Human Rights Communities Event in London: a powerful day of learning, connection and action with community groups and leaders from across the city.
More than 30 people joined us for a free workshop on the Human Rights Act 1998, learning how it can be used in everyday community work to uphold dignity, respect and non-discrimination, especially for people at the sharpest end of public power.
The energy in the room was inspiring. Organisations came together to build knowledge, confidence and practical skills, leaving better equipped to identify human rights issues, raise them with public bodies, and support their communities to be heard.
Learning from community leaders
A highlight of the day was our panel made up of leaders from the four community groups that make up the London Communities Human Rights Programme. They shared powerful examples of what happens when communities use a human rights approach, from communities feeling more empowered, strengthening advocacy work, and securing accountability from decision-makers.
Ada from Unfold spoke about human rights shifting power to the people organisations serve, giving young people the confidence to challenge decision-makers. Mehak from Southall Community Alliance highlighted the importance of meeting people where they are, supporting them to claim their rights, and taking human rights conversations into Parliament. Melissa from Community Plan for Holloway shared how young people in Islington used a human rights framework to research lived experiences, co-produce campaigns and secure engagement from local decision-makers on housing.
Jacob from BIHR reflected on the natural fit between the Human Rights Act and community work, advocacy and casework. Human rights provide a shared language that helps people act, be heard and challenge unfair treatment, while practical support helps turn rights into real-world change.
Martina from Indoamerican Refugee and Migrant Organisation brought this to life through examples of housing problems, healthcare access and immigration-related barriers. She showed how Human Rights Act advocacy can change the way public bodies respond. Services that had stalled can start moving. The message was clear: when people understand their rights, and advocates are equipped to use the Act, outcomes improve.
Carlyn from BIHR reminded us that nearly 30 years on from the Human Rights Act, the challenge is not that we lack the law: it is that implementation is still too often missing. Public officials continue to receive little or no human rights training, despite their legal duties under the Act.
She also challenged the assumption that law is too complex for communities to understand. Human rights are not just abstract principles: they are practical tools that people can use to name problems, strengthen advocacy and demand accountability.
Human Rights creative space
The day ended with a creative space where community groups made human rights posters for their communities and shared audio and written reflections on what human rights mean to them.
“Do not hesitate, this is such a powerful tool that has made a big difference in our casework. Public authorities are very responsive to human rights arguments, so using them strengthens your advocacy.”
Participants left with a renewed sense of confidence, describing human rights as:
• “A powerful and essential tool to support our community”
• “A feeling of empowerment to advocate, inform and support others”
• “A necessity: the importance of knowing your rights”
• “Easy to use when holding public bodies to account”
One participant said they felt “more optimistic”, explaining that while it is easy to feel pessimistic, the event had convinced them that human rights advocacy is an effective tool. Another reflected that it is empowering to know that people who are not lawyers can still do a great deal to make sure human rights are upheld.
One of the main takeaways from the day is the importance of leaning into human rights language, not shying away from it. The Human Rights Act 1998 belongs to all of us and is there for us to use. Assuming that people are not able to understand the laws that govern us only serves to create distance between us and the rights that we all have. The issue is not in understanding our rights, it’s making sure that this information is shared.
We are hugely grateful to everyone who joined us and contributed so much energy, insight and creativity. We would also like to thank the funders of this work, The Baring Foundation and City Bridge Foundation, for making it possible to provide free, practical human rights support to community organisations. The power of this event showed why long-term investment in community-based human rights work matters: because when communities know their rights, they are better able to claim them, protect them and turn them into change.