The fight that’s never done

THE Human Rights Act is 20 years old. EM Forster, the celebrated writer, said that ‘it’s the fight that’s never done.’

If we have these rights enshrined in law then we should be safer, securer, more confident and, in some respects, happier. It should be a guarantee that those in power who abuse our rights or do not protect them should be challenged in the courts of law.

We have the right to life so the police have a duty to protect us. Every step must be taken to ensure there is an adequately resourced and staffed police service to this end.

We should not be tortured or suffer inhuman or degrading treatment. Every case of this misdemeanour must be investigated.

We should not be a slave. But we hear every day of trafficking, slavery and situations where people are made to work against their will.

We all have the right to be free. The state can only take that right away when we have broken the law and are then imprisoned.

We have the right to a fair trial and not be punished without law.

We have the right to a private and family life and not be watched, subject to surveillance, have our letters or e mails read without permission.

Are these rights protected properly?

We have freedom of thought, religion and belief. But how many times have these rights been violated in one form or another?

We have freedom of speech. But on a daily basis this right is vanishing.

We have the right to marry who we choose. In reality this is not always the case.

We must not suffer discrimination. The recent heavily reported antisemitic and Islamophobic outrages go against this human right.

We have the right to respect for property, education and the right to vote.

These rights are fundamental and should not be challenged.

All of these rights are collected together in the Human Rights Act. But how many times are these basic tenets overlooked, ignored or guaranteed?

We have a duty as citizens to stand up for these rights at a local and national level and draw attention to it when our rights are breached.

Source: libertyhumanrughts.org.uk Ian

Herne Hillingdon