« Important book matters – Main – Human rights: people needed to make the case »
Some recent survey evidence showed that the understanding of human rights in Great Britain is poor. The survey, by GfK NOP (only privately available at the moment) showed that, although some 97% of respondents had heard the phrase "human rights", some 36% had no knowledge of what human rights are enshrined in UK law. Furthermore, 7% or less mentioned any human rights other than freedom of speech and freedom of worship / religion.
These results shouldn't be surprising, given the level and type of informed debate that surrounds human rights in Great Britain. arbitrary constant will therefore continue to write articles about human rights (see, for example, here), in order to try and raise and inform the level of debate surrounding human rights. For those who aren't quite sure what their human rights are, though, here is a list of the human rights protected by the Human Rights Act (1998):
— The right to life
— The right not to be tortured or treated in an inhuman or degrading way
— The right to be free from slavery or forced labour
— The right to liberty
— The right to a fair trial
— The right to no punishment without law
— The right to respect for private and family life, home and correspondence
— The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion
— The right to freedom of expression
— The right to freedom of assembly and association
— The right to marry and found a family
— The right not to be discriminated against in relation to any of the rights contained in the European Convention
— The right to peaceful enjoyment of possessions
— The right to education
— The right to free elections