Why does the notion of human rights get such a bad press in Britain?

Human Rights, and particularly the European Court of Human Rights, has had a bad press in the UK. The notion of humans having ‘rights’ has been the target of much abuse and derision. Do some of your staff have a misguided view of the Human Rights Act? They might find ACAS guidance helpful.

Misreporting of the Human Rights Act is rife – and in some tabloids, wilful misinterpretation has taken place to achieve paper-selling headlines. A Daily Mail story headlined ‘The war criminals we cannot deport because of their human rights’ suggested that the Human Rights Act, and not, as is actually the case, a loophole in the UK’s implementation of international law, was to blame for genocide suspects living with impunity in the UK.

But human rights are the basic rights and freedoms that all people should be entitled to. These rights are based on core principles of dignity, fairness and respect.

To help separate truth from fiction, Acas has published online guidance on their website on Human Rights and the workplace. Some of your staff might find this helpful.

You can read the guidance here