What is a human rights based approach?
A human rights based approach means putting people and their human rights at the heart of policy, practice and the law. The PANEL principles are internationally recognised tools that help us make rights real in practice.
P
Participation
Everyone has the right to take part in decisions that affect their rights.
A
Accountability
People should be able to hold duty bearers (public authorities) to account for their rights. And there should be effective remedies when human rights are breached.
N
Non-discrimination
Everyone should live free of discrimination and people who are most marginalised should be central to decision making around rights.
E
Empowerment
Everyone should be able to name and claim their rights. People and communities need to understand their rights and be able to claim them in practice.
L
Legality
International human rights will be used to frame policies and practice.
The FAIR Process
We use the FAIR process to support communities to name and claim their rights in practice. The FAIR process was developed by the Scottish Human Rights Commission and has four stages.
F - Facts
Find out the experiences of people affected by the issue. What facts are important to consider?
A - Analyse Rights
Discover which rights are at stake (e.g. Right to Adequate Housing)
I - Identify Responsibilities
Identify who is responsible for the rights. Which duty bearers have responsibility and what needs to change.
R - Review Actions
Make recommendations for action and monitor how these actions are carried out. Evaluate what has happened as a result.