Explain and analyze three ways in which rights are
protected in the UK
The Human Rights Act of 1998 came into force in 2000 and is considered the codification of the
ECHR into British law as it replaced much common law to allow citizens to access rights
protection throughout the UK legal system. Many say it protects the basic rights and freedoms
of individuals. These rights and freedoms are the right to life, liberty, security, the right to a fair
trial, the prohibition of torture and the prohibition of degrading or inhuman treatment. The HRA
Act does this by allowing individuals to contest any violation of their rights in courts therefore
this offers a domestic avenue for redress rather than allowing escalation which is when cases
escalate to the ECHR. This makes it easier for UK individuals to access rights than before the
HRA was in force. Therefore, it protects the rights by pledging access to courts to protect the
basic rights of the citizens. Furthermore, the HRA has strengthened the capability of judges to
effectively uphold civil liberties, this can be seen in the case of Abu Qatada, a Jordanian
national who was accused of having links to terrorist organizations however the evidence was
obtained through torture therefore it was decided it would be best to deport him. However, many
Conservatives view the HRA as negative due to that it means in some cases such as Abu
Qatada the rights of an individual take precedence over the rights of society as a whole. The
HRA also made the government ministers take rights and liberties into account more as seen in
2004 when a law that prevented a gay partner from inheriting a council flat was dissolved due to
being classed as discrimination under The Human Rights Act. However, some say this is
cancelled out as the HRA can be ‘pushed’ aside by the government for example the derogation
of the rights of terror suspects after 9/11. Another way the HRA protects the rights and liberties
of the people is how legislation has to comply with the HRA or else it issues a declaration of
incompatibility but some may disagree as the HRA cannot overturn primary legislation in
parliament therefore somewhat limiting the HRA. The main reason people do not think the HRA
is a valid protection of their rights is because the HRA is not entrenched and therefore it can be
replaced as the Conservative Party has pledged to do with a British Bill of Rights.
The Equality Act of 2010 was introduced as an attempt to codify and increase the simplicity of a
variety of Acts of Parliament, conventions and regulations that previously existed in different
forms as well as different groups. The EqA consolidated all measures related to gender equality,
race, sexuality and disabilities to ensure equal and consistent rights are protected and given
fairly. It protects these rights by making it illegal to discriminate against someone based on
“protected characteristics”. Another way the rights are protects is that the EqA also requires
public authorities to actively promote equality and eliminate discrimination in their policies and
practices. ……………………. . Overall The Equality Act demonstrates the ways in which the
individual rights of citizens are protected.
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 is an Act to ensure political transparency by allowing
citizens to access any non-security related information held by public institutions as well as
protected in the UK
The Human Rights Act of 1998 came into force in 2000 and is considered the codification of the
ECHR into British law as it replaced much common law to allow citizens to access rights
protection throughout the UK legal system. Many say it protects the basic rights and freedoms
of individuals. These rights and freedoms are the right to life, liberty, security, the right to a fair
trial, the prohibition of torture and the prohibition of degrading or inhuman treatment. The HRA
Act does this by allowing individuals to contest any violation of their rights in courts therefore
this offers a domestic avenue for redress rather than allowing escalation which is when cases
escalate to the ECHR. This makes it easier for UK individuals to access rights than before the
HRA was in force. Therefore, it protects the rights by pledging access to courts to protect the
basic rights of the citizens. Furthermore, the HRA has strengthened the capability of judges to
effectively uphold civil liberties, this can be seen in the case of Abu Qatada, a Jordanian
national who was accused of having links to terrorist organizations however the evidence was
obtained through torture therefore it was decided it would be best to deport him. However, many
Conservatives view the HRA as negative due to that it means in some cases such as Abu
Qatada the rights of an individual take precedence over the rights of society as a whole. The
HRA also made the government ministers take rights and liberties into account more as seen in
2004 when a law that prevented a gay partner from inheriting a council flat was dissolved due to
being classed as discrimination under The Human Rights Act. However, some say this is
cancelled out as the HRA can be ‘pushed’ aside by the government for example the derogation
of the rights of terror suspects after 9/11. Another way the HRA protects the rights and liberties
of the people is how legislation has to comply with the HRA or else it issues a declaration of
incompatibility but some may disagree as the HRA cannot overturn primary legislation in
parliament therefore somewhat limiting the HRA. The main reason people do not think the HRA
is a valid protection of their rights is because the HRA is not entrenched and therefore it can be
replaced as the Conservative Party has pledged to do with a British Bill of Rights.
The Equality Act of 2010 was introduced as an attempt to codify and increase the simplicity of a
variety of Acts of Parliament, conventions and regulations that previously existed in different
forms as well as different groups. The EqA consolidated all measures related to gender equality,
race, sexuality and disabilities to ensure equal and consistent rights are protected and given
fairly. It protects these rights by making it illegal to discriminate against someone based on
“protected characteristics”. Another way the rights are protects is that the EqA also requires
public authorities to actively promote equality and eliminate discrimination in their policies and
practices. ……………………. . Overall The Equality Act demonstrates the ways in which the
individual rights of citizens are protected.
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 is an Act to ensure political transparency by allowing
citizens to access any non-security related information held by public institutions as well as
