Britons 'ignorant' of their human rights

Friday, 7 July 2006 12:00 AM

Most people believe a law enshrining their human rights is a good thing but few have any idea how it actually affects their lives, a new survey finds.

The research by the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) comes amid a major political debate about the Human Rights Act 1998, which protects the right to liberty and a fair trial among others.

Conservative leader David Cameron recently called for the act, which incorporates the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) into British law, to be scrapped. He proposed instead the introduction of a US-style bill of rights.

Today's survey by YouGov finds 62 per cent of Britons think there should be an act to protect everyone's rights in Britain, but few understand what protection is on offer.

For example, 36 per cent said they had no information about how the Human Rights Act affected their privacy, ten per cent said they understood the rights it offered in terms of health and just eight per cent knew what protection it gave against crime.

"The poll makes it clear that we are in a state of ignorance about our human rights, which is detrimental to the people who need it most - including disabled people, older people and children," said Bert Massie, chairman of the DRC.

The areas covered in the Human Rights Act include the right to life, to freedom from torture, slavery and degrading treatment, but also the right to free elections, to marry, the right to respect for private and family life and freedom of association.

Concerns about the act have recently focused on the first of these rights - the freedom from torture - which has prevented the government from deporting terror suspects from Britain to their home countries if they risk facing ill-treatment there.

Ministers have tried to get around the situation by signing memoranda of understanding with Libya and Jordan among others, although human rights campaigners argue these documents are not worth the paper they are printed on.

There are also fears that the rights of offenders are being put ahead of victims, prompting a tabloid campaign to get the Human Rights Act scrapped. Mr Cameron backed this call last month, saying the law had "hampered the fight against crime and terrorism".

Tony Blair has indicated he wants to see a review of the law, but in May, constitutional affairs secretary Lord Falconer insisted the government had no intention of scrapping it.

"The convention rights do not remotely reduce the ability of the state to provide proper protection for its citizens - indeed it imposes an obligation on the state to protect its citizens from death or injury," he said.

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• civil liberties
,
• domestic policy