Posts by Lorraine Barrie
UN Special Rapporteur invited to meet Scottish Gypsy Travellers: “systemic change in housing service delivery and engagement” needed
Making Rights Real and RAJPOT have provided written evidence to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, in response to his recent call for evidence on “localizing the right to adequate housing: How local governments and community-led initiatives can contribute to the realization of the right to adequate housing”. We argue that…
Read MoreYoung human rights defenders feature in Edinburgh Evening News
“When we give young people a seat at the table and invest in their ideas, they shine.” This article is reproduced from PressReader.com | Young ‘Banana Flats’ residents take a lead in shaping the future in Leith — YMCA Edinburgh and the young people they work with featured in this fantastic article. We look forward…
Read MoreMore Than Just Words: The Small Voices Carrying Scotland’s Hidden Gypsy Traveller History
“This was not simply an art exhibition. It was a family archive, a historical record, a public education event and an act of resistance.” Read all about the “Nackens Now and Then” exhibition in this terrific article by Violet Cannon in Travellers Times. Many congratulations to the organisers – this exhibition should be featured in museums and public…
Read MoreLocal Hero Roseanna McPhee attends Scottish Parliament opening
Roseanna McPhee (pictured above), human rights defender and Tinker Experiment campaigner, attended the opening of the Scottish Parliament on 27th June 2026, as the guest of Mark Ruskell MSP. MSPs invited local heroes to attend the ceremony, with King Charles III and Queen Camilla in attendance. Roseanna, Shamus McPhee and other Tinker Experiment victims continue their…
Read MoreMAKING RIGHTS REAL SUCCESS IN EDINBURGH’S REGENERATIVE FUTURES FUND AWARD
Photo: Members of the Cables Wynd House Residents Group and Making Rights Real Photo credit: Lewis Houghton @lewspics Making Rights Real and Cables Wynd House Residents Group one of 11 successful projects in £15 million long term funding commitment Following an open city-wide application process, eleven organisations and collaborative partnerships have been selected to receive sustained support. Each award…
Read MoreMRR Signs Joint Civil Society Letter to the First Minister on Human Rights Priorities
On 19th May 2026, Human Rights Consortium Scotland, alongside 42 organisations from across Scottish civil society including Making Rights Real, wrote to the new First Minister setting out urgent priorities for human rights in Scotland. A portion of the full text of the letter has been reproduced below and the full text of the letter…
Read MoreCongress of Nations and States Conference 2026: Lived Experiences from the Peripheries
Making Rights Real staff Hannah Kitchen Kirby and Lorraine Barrie and human rights defender Roseanna McPhee attended the Congress of Nations and States Conference in Dundee on 18th and 19th May. The conference’s theme was “Mass Atrocities, Environmental Degradation, and Communities’ Rights”, and was attended by around 60 academic experts on minority and indigenous rights, and those…
Read More“Transformative Reparations by public bodies” needed to address Tinker Experiment human rights abuses
SHRC call for financial compensation, cultural investment and further truth recovery following 15-year battle for justice by victims The Scottish Human Rights Commission has found the State put the right to health, education and employment at risk for Tinker Experiment victims by forcing them to assimilate in substandard housing. Their report “No Man’s Land” launching today finds that victims were forced to give up their culture and in some cases their children. The Scottish Government research identified a range…
Read MoreRights campaign results in residents’ victory
Making Rights Real’s work was featured on the Corra Foundation’s website for our work with Cables Wynd House Residents Group. Read the full article below by Mairi Damer: It can take a long, long time for wrongs to be righted but for the residents of Leith’s so-called Banana Flats, a human rights campaign hastened a…
Read MoreBanana Flats residents secure funding for housing human rights campaign
Making Rights Real is delighted to announce grant funding from the People’s Postcode Trust to support housing rights at Cables Wynd House in Leith. Cables Wynd House Residents Group (CWHRG) formed in 2021 to talk about their housing and community needs. By coming together, they learned many residents were living with inadequate housing and decided to do…
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