Human rights are fundamentally important in maintaining a fair and civilised society.
The Human Rights Act protects your freedom to control your own life based on core principles of:
- dignity
- fairness
- equality
- respect
- autonomy
Visit the Equality and Human Rights Commission website for practical guidance on your human rights.
York: Human Rights City
The Lord Mayor of York committed to adopting 'a human rights approach' when York became the UK’s first Human Rights City in April 2017.
York: Human Rights City (YHRC) aims to bridge the gap between international obligations and claiming your human rights at a local level. YHRC publishes annual reports on York’s progress as a human rights city, as work continues to create a vibrant, diverse, fair and safe city.
Your human rights as our customer
As a public authority, we must act in accordance with the Human Rights Act, and:
- have an understanding of human rights
- apply human rights principles when providing services
- take human rights into consideration when developing policies and procedures
Anyone who believes we ('the state') have breached their human rights, can take their case to a UK court (rather than the European Court of Human Rights, in Strasbourg).