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Government consultation on a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland

On 10 December 2008, the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission presented its advice to the Government on the possible content of a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland. On 30 November 2009, the Government published its consultation paper entitled ‘A Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland: Next Steps’. The paper is available on the Northern Ireland Office website here and an optional response form which accompanies the paper can be found here. The consultation period has now been extended and responses should be sent to the Northern Ireland Office by 31 March 2010.

It's in your hands - Human Rights Consortium's Campaign

The 'Make Our Bill of Rights Strong' campaign has been started by the Human Rights Consortiums members and supporters in order to evidence & mobilise the huge public support that exists for a strong and inclusive Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland. You can find out more about their campaign here.

Advice on a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland
On 10 December 2008, the Commission presented its advice to the Government on the possible content of a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland. To help formulate this advice a methodology was agreed, to which Commissioners paid due regard. This was informed by the experience and work of the Commission since its inception, recent submissions, the Final Report of the Bill of Rights Forum and further discussions, including legal advice.

The Commission was asked to advise on rights which reflect the particular circumstances of Northern Ireland and that are additional to the European Convention on Human Rights. In its advice to government of 10 December 2008, the Commission made a number of recommendations for inclusion in a Bill of Rights, including:

right to equality and prohibition of discrimination
right to health
education rights
freedom from violence, exploitation and harassment
right to identity and culture
right to civil and administrative justice
rights to liberty and fair trial
language rights
rights of victims
democratic rights
right to an adequate standard of living
right to accommodation
right to work
environmental rights, and
children's rights

The Commission provided its advice to government in compliance with international human rights standards. It has carefully considered how its recommendations reflect the principles of mutual respect for the identity and ethos of both communities and parity of esteem. It acknowledges that the rights and needs of others must be protected and believes that both these objectives can be best achieved through a Bill of Rights that reflects a common commitment to fairness, equality and justice for all.

There are several version of the advice:

Full Advice on a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland, presented to the Government on International Human Rights Day, 10 December 2008
A Summary version, published in July 2009 and an Irish translation, published in September 2009
An easy-read version, published in November 2009
Newspaper supplement, published in January 2010

New Education Pack on a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland

This pack is aimed at citizenship teachers and youth leaders and is available to schools and youth organisations to help young people participate in the Government consultation. The key resources from the pack, including guidance notes and a lesson plan, can be downloaded from the Commission's website and a limited number of hard copies are available on request.

You can watch the presentation of the Commission's advice below: