UN reviews Britain's human rights record

The UN Human Rights Council has issued the UK’s latest human rights “report card.” Sixty-one countries commended the UK’s ongoing commitment to human rights but made recommendations for improvements, reports the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

The UN’s 132 recommendations encourage the UK to strengthen human rights protection for vulnerable individuals. The UN also recommends that the rights set out in the Equality Act, the Human Rights Act and international human rights laws are preserved. It notes that the right balance must be found between security and people’s basic rights, for example in the areas of stop and search, counter-terrorism and migration policy.

According to the Scottish Human Rights Commission, recommendations from other UN member states also included that the UK:

• Should develop a National Action Plan on Human Rights.
• Comply with decisions of the European Court of Human Rights.
• Reconsider the continued legality of corporal punishment against children and raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility.
• Take effective measures to combat all forms of violence against women and increase efforts to combat human trafficking.