All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in aspirit of [personhood}

artical one UN Convention on Human Right

The problem is, the United Nations soft law is no more use than the bible when it comes to providing citizens with dignity and rights. There have been more add-ons to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Then acknowledgements from the UK Government that trickle-down economics just does not work. Where are my Human Rights? Perhaps the title of this blog could have been “[did] the free market revolution” (Benerria, 2003, p.3) steel my Human rights? As Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett (2009, p.262) point out “… profit would still lead companies to act in anti-social ways”. While anti-social is in opposition to social enterprise. It is not a breach of Human Rights. Since February 2022 I have been a member of the Scottish Government’s Human rights bill lived experience board. Why? Why am I a board member of the Scottish Government’s Human rights bill lived experience board? Noted above, I make it clear, that the free market is not the cause of Human Rights violations. If I am not a board member of the Scottish Government’s Human rights bill lived experience board to correct the wrongs of the free market. Then I must be on the Scottish Government’s Human rights bill lived experience board to correct the failures of the public sector. There is an add-on question that is outwith the scope of this blog. Is it not the job of the third sector to look after the failures of the public sector?

In 1973 the world economy had become reliant on oil and was facing raw material shortages that were pushing up prices (Banerjee & Duflo 2010, p.146). Not too much has changed. Has it? At this time I what the reader to think about economic and social rights.

The rights to & the rights from

If unpaid activities were valued [1995 prices] at prevailing wages, they would [have] amounted to $16 trillion or about 70 per cent of total world output (Beneria, 2003 p.74)

Gender, Development and Globazation

What sex in society is likely to do unpaid activities? Women. Think about that, not only is the contemporary cost of living crisis an infringement on economic and social rights. It is also an infringement on gender development. At today’s meeting on Disabled people and unpaid carers with third-sector colleagues’, there was a consensus that the cost of living was in breach of economic and social rights. I add here that due to the majority of unpaid carers having xx chromosomes. Women more than men are likely to be hit harder and are more likely to have their human rights violated due to the cost of living crises.

There was also an agreement that the support offered by governments, is not enough to cover the cost of living rises. The view that government support lacks the requirements to mitigate the cost of living crises is supported by The Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland. Who recommended the Scottish Government increase payments to Scottish citizens receving benefits. Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland note there are groups in society, which their recommendations will not help.

As I pointed out in the afternoon’s meeting, additional payments to disabled people and unpaid carers’ is the ethical thing to do.

All I have known is crises

As one of my co-workers said at today’s meeting ” [citizens’]’ health is affected [by this cost of living increase]. However, as pointed out in yesterday’s Human Rights meeting by John (not real name) “as someone born in 2002, all I’ve known is crises. If this is how our young people are feeling. Society has a mental health pandemic coming.

I started this section with the heading the rights to and the rights from. As a citizen of Scotland, you have the right to a fair trial. the right to housing, the right to live in the community, and, the right to food. this post would be longer than my dissertation if I was to go over all the rights.

Scottish Human Rights bill: when?

the short answer. By the end of the parliamentary session. Why not sooner? Well… the Scottish Government are trying to incorporate four international treaties into Scot law. The Government needs to get the bill/act correct, let us give them some time to do just that. As the Scottish government’s civil servant said yesterday

the delay gives more time to get the bill correct

Scottish Government Civil Servant

Conclusion

I have notes for three meetings. I could have written a PhD paper with the quotes I wrote down. However, I want to get this blog published tonight- October 06. I also know that The Scottish Human Rights Commission. The Health and Social care Alliance Scotland. And many other third-sector partners shall publish better blogs and posts than I could write in a few hours. Saving me time, and providing me more sleeping time.

Am going to do something you should never do. Am going to introduce a new topic in the conclusion. What is next for the Scottish Human Rights bill? I have it on good authority the next meeting will be on monitoring. How will we know if the Human Rights Bill is working?

I have a few ideas, however, I would like to hear the reader’s thoughts in the comments.