Today the Scottish Human Rights Commission have released their 2014-15 Annual Report. The Scottish Human Rights Commission was created in 2006 by Act of The Scottish Parliament and has a broad remit to promote, protect and develop human rights in Scotland.

The Scottish Human Rights Commission Annual Report 2014-15 – click to view.

The report highlights several key achievements over the last year. One of the main ones being the successful campaign for Equal Marriage which HSS played a key role in. The report also highlighted the national debate around the Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill for stimulating a national debate around the human rights issues involved.

The Report did highlight some challenges to human rights in Scotland. These were around issues such as lack of access to legal aid and representation, as well as discrimination in housing provision faced by minority groups such as Gypsy/Travellers.

Human rights are essential to protect and improve an open and tolerant society. You can find out more about human rights as they relate to Scotland by visiting Scotland’s Naitonal Action Plan (SNAP) for human rights.