Hello.

My name's Ms. Ikomi, and I'm a teacher from London.

I'm gonna be taking you through today's lesson, so let's get started.

Today's lesson is called How Are My Rights Protected? It is part of the wider unit Practising What We Have Learnt.

By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain how your rights are protected by the law and what you can do if your rights are violated.

The keywords we're going to hear in today's lesson are right.

This is something that we are entitled to by law.

Civil law.

This is law that deals with disputes between individuals or groups.

And violated.

This is an action that breaks a rule, law, or someone's rights, often causing harm or damage.

We're going to begin by thinking about how our rights are protected by law.

This lesson is going to help you revise key concepts that come up in GCSC Citizenship Studies.

Some of it might feel familiar.

Our rights are protected by a mix of international agreements and national laws.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UDHR, was created by the United Nations in 1948 to prevent the human rights violations that we saw happening during World War II.

The United Nations are an international organisation that are focused around supporting development worldwide and protecting people's human rights.

The UDHR sets out basic rights that everybody is entitled to.

For example, the right to life, freedom of speech, the right to education, and the protection from torture.

These rights are universal, meaning that everyone is entitled to them, even if not everybody's given them all the time.

Although the UDHR isn't legally binding, it's the foundation for lots of UK laws and treaties, and we have laws that embed these legally.

The rights that the Declaration of Human Rights protects are seen in the slide.

There are lots of different areas that are covered.

For example, legal rights, democratic rights that support us being able to vote and help run the country, and rights that are related to health and wellbeing.

For example, we can see number two is freedom from discrimination.

That is legally embedded in laws that we have in the UK.

We also have number 11, being innocent until proven guilty.

This is the foundation of the rule of law within the UK.

We also have things related to wellbeing, such as number 24, the right to rest and relaxation.

You can see all of the different rights outlined in this picture.

For children, there's extra protection through the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, sometimes called the UNCRC.

The UK Government has agreed to follow this treaty, meaning that they have written it into their laws.

This says that every child has the right to education, healthcare, and protection from harm, also to safety and to be heard.

For example, Article 12 of the UNCRC says children have the right to express their views and be taken seriously.

The UNCRC is used in this country to stand up for the rights of children.

In 2020, for example, the Children's Commissioner fought to ban the use of unregulated accommodation for people under the age of 18 who were living in care.

This argued that it violated their UNCRC rights to safe housing and protection.

So we can see how this has been put into practise within the UK.

Children have the UNCRC because often, children are in a more of a vulnerable position, so therefore they need extra rights to make sure that they're protected.

Let's do a check of what we've learned so far.

I'd like you to read the statements below and tick or cross whether they are true or false.

Pause the video and have a go at this now.

Let's check our answers.

The first statement is false.

The UDHR is not a law passed by UK parliament.

It is that non-legal binding declaration which we have written into our laws, so it's a little bit different.

The next one is true.

The UNCRC does protect the rights of children.

The next one is false.

The UDHR was passed after World War II.

And the last one is true.

Because we have signed up to it, we follow these international agreements.

Alex is asking Sam, "What does the United Nations do?" Sam's reminding Alex the UN is an international organisation that comprises of most countries in the world.

It is aiming to promote peace, security, and international cooperation.

That is why they created both the Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

This is to protect the rights that everyone is entitled to, even if they're not always given them.

Laura's asking a good question.

"What else do we need to know about the UNCRC?" We need to know that the UNCRC is an agreement that is very important and is between 196 countries.

The UK signed this agreement on the 19th of April, 1990.

It is the most widely signed human rights document in history.

It has 54 articles that cover all aspects of children's lives and set out the different rights that they're entitled to in lots of different contexts.

It's universal, meaning that these rights apply to every child and that every child is entitled to claim them.

It also explains how adults and governments have to work together to make sure that all children can access their rights.

We should think of the UNCRC as a whole.

It has lots of different parts that are trying to reach this ultimate aim of protecting young people.

All the rights are linked, and no right is more important than the other.

Every child has the right to relax and play, freedom of expression, meaning they can give their opinions, be safe from violence, get an education, have their identity protected and not discriminated against, have access to a sufficient standard of living, whether that means access to shelter, food, or water, know their rights and therefore be able to claim them, health services that are going to mean that they have access to medicine if they're unwell.

Let's do another check.

The UNCRC lists the rights that all children have to be.

Pause your video and choose any of the answers below which are correct.

The correct answers are a and c.

Children have the right to be educated and safe.

Let's do another quick check.

Read the sentence below and fill in the missing word.

Pause your video now.

Let's check our answer.

The UNCRC is universal, which means all children are entitled to claim the rights outlined in it.

To follow the international commitments that the UK Government have signed, they have to create national laws and policies that match the rights.

So bringing all of those concepts into law that is embedded within the UK.

The Human Rights Act 1998 brings the European Convention of Human Rights into human law.

That means that you can go to a UK court if your rights are violated by a public body, for example, the police, or if you have a civil issue with an individual or a group.

Article 8 of the Convention protects the right to private and family life.

And this can be used when criticising someone or a company for collecting personal health data without consent.

This law means that public bodies have to respect people's rights, something that therefore the government is legally required to follow.

So we see how having these international agreements is important.

But what's even more important is making sure that they're written into national law.

Another key way that rights are protected is through the Equality Act 2010.

This has the idea of non-discrimination that we see come up within the Declaration of Human Rights and Convention on the Rights of the Child and puts it into UK law.

The Equality Act 2010 protects people from unfair treatment, and this is based on particular protected characteristics.

These include things like disability, gender, race, or religion.

An example of this is in 2023, a job applicant with autism won a case after being discriminated against during the recruitment process.

He wasn't provided with reasonable adjustments for the job interview.

The Equality Act 2010 was used here in order to gain compensation.

The Equality Act is important because it brings this idea of treating people equally into law.

It's unlawful to treat someone unfairly because of any of the nine protected characteristics.

And if someone has been treated unfairly, it gives them a legal recourse to do something about it.

The nine characteristics we can see are on the slide.

Marriage and civil partnership, race and ethnicity, disability, religion or belief, age, sexual orientation, sex, gender reassignment, or pregnancy and maternity.

The Equality Act 2010 applies to England, Scotland, and Wales.

Anti-discrimination laws in Northern Ireland are across multiple pieces of legislation, so not just one act like we have in the Equality Act.

Let's do a check.

The Equality Act 2010 applies to the whole of the UK.

Is this true or false? Pause your video now.

The correct answer is false.

This is because it applies to England, Scotland, and Wales.

However, it isn't applicable to Northern Ireland because the anti-discrimination laws there are found across multiple pieces of legislation.

This act actually brings together lots of different laws that were previously the ones that were used to protect against discrimination, the Race Relations Act, the Disability Discrimination Act, Equal Pay Act, Sex Discrimination Act, Equality Act 2006, Employment Equality in terms of religion and belief regulations, Employment Equality in terms of sexual orientation regulations, Employment Equality in terms of age regulation, the Equality Act that was related to sexual orientation regulations.

We can see that all of these different laws would've been working alongside each other.

However, bringing them together and having one law makes it easier to take action if someone is faced with discrimination rather than having to work out which of these the case might fit into.

The Equality Act 2010 covers discrimination in lots of different places, including the workplace, education, public services, for example, within the NHS hospitals or local councils, shops and businesses, transports, and clubs and associations, meaning that you cannot legally discriminate against people based on these protected characteristics in any of these spaces.

It makes it unlawful to directly discriminate, refuse to hire someone because of their race, for example, indirectly discriminate, which would be to have a rule that disadvantages a certain group, harass somebody, whether that means you're making offensive comments, or jokes, or any sort of behaviour that is related to one of those characteristics.

You can't victimise someone, so treat someone badly for complaining about the discrimination they may experience.

We also cannot fail to make reasonable adjustments for people living with a disability, therefore making sure that they're not put at a disadvantage.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission ensures that these laws are followed and investigates when people's rights are violated.

In February, 2024, the Equality and Human Rights Commission raised concerns that new immigration policies could violate asylum seekers' rights, especially children, and these things would not be allowed under UK or international law.

Examples like this show us how the government has to turn rights into enforceable civil law and make sure that they're truly protected in these spaces.

Let's do a check.

Why was the Equality Act 2010 introduced? Pause your video and choose your answer now.

The correct answer is b, to bring together several existing laws into one clear law.

Let's do another check.

Explain how the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010 bring international commitments to UK law.

Pause your video now.

You might have said, the Equality Act turns international principles of non-discrimination, like those in the UNDHR, into legal protections.

These are against the unfair treatment based on those nine protected characteristics, things like disability, gender, or race.

The Human Rights Act 1998 brings together the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, like the right to be safe, so that these laws can make the international human rights commitments legally enforceable in the UK.

We're going to do a longer task to put this into practise.

I would like you to explain how international agreements and UK laws protect people's rights.

Use Source A and Source B that you can see on the slide in your answer.

Pause your video and have a go at this now.

Let's have a check of our answers.

You might have said, international agreements, like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child from Source A, define the rights people should have, such as education, safety, and freedom from discrimination.

The UK Government must incorporate these into national law.

For example, the Human Rights Act 1998 brings rights like privacy into UK law.

The Equality Act 2010 from Source B also turns these rights into law by stopping discrimination and unfair treatment based on nine protected characteristics.

For example, in 2023, a man with autism won a case after being unfairly rejected from gaining reasonable adjustments for a job interview.

Overall, Source B shows how UK law protects rights by making international principles, like the UNCRC from Source A, legally enforceable.

Next, we're going to think about what we can do if our rights are violated.

When someone's rights are violated, they can often take legal action using civil law.

Civil law is a type of law that deals with disputes between individuals or groups.

This is slightly different to criminal law that deals with crimes that have been committed, for example, assault.

If an employee is unfairly treated due to their religion or their gender, they could take their case to an employment tribunal.

Civil law helps people seek justice when their rights are violated.

They don't necessarily have to need criminal charges to have taken place, so therefore they can go through the civil law route.

A family court is a type of county court, and this is a court that deals with civil disputes.

A family court deals with rights in family disputes, such as contact with children after there's been a divorce.

For example, if a parent feels that their right to see their child is being unfairly denied, they can apply for a court order.

In 2023, the government released plans to fund mandatory mediation for separating couples.

This is to protect children under new mediation reforms. This shows how civil law helps to resolve problems, especially when vulnerable people need help enforcing their rights.

Let's do a check.

Which court would deal with a parent trying to gain contact with their child? Pause your video and choose your answer now.

The correct answer is c, county court.

Employment court is not actually a real thing.

Andeep's telling us that employment disputes are handled by employment tribunals, but these deal with work issues, not family matters.

People can also complain to public bodies directly or use ombudsman services if they think that their rights have been violated.

For example, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman handles complaints about social services and councils.

These services are free and help individuals to enforce their rights without necessarily having to go to court.

Sometimes people might not want to go to court because it's going to be more expensive and might take a longer time.

An ombudsman is a way or an alternative way of dealing with this.

An ombudsman is an independent and impartial authority that is appointed to handle complaints made by individuals against organisations or public bodies.

They work to support people's rights when they feel they've been treated unfairly or unlawfully.

There are different types of ombudsman.

The Prison and Probation Ombudsman would deal with prison and probation services.

Other services have their own, for example, Parliamentary Health Service or Financial Services Ombudsman.

All of these organisations support rights by providing fair and impartiality, consumer rights protection, and also access to justice.

If rights are violated by government policies, individuals or organisations can take the case to judicial review.

This is where a judge checks if a decision was legal.

For example, in 2024, a charity challenged the Home Office's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.

They argued that this violated their rights.

The courts then ruled parts of the plan were unlawful.

Judicial review ensure that the government cannot act beyond the law and that rights are protected at the highest level of civil justice.

Lucas is asking about mediation.

How does this support a person's rights? Mediation is another alternative or something that might be used alongside one of the other methods.

It's a process where an independent third party, the mediator, helps people or organisations in conflict to negotiate and reach a voluntary agreement, for example, in employment disputes or neighbour issues.

Unlike a judge, the mediator doesn't make decisions for the parties involved.

Instead, they help them communicate effectively and explore options to resolve the issue without going to court.

Even though there's a lot of support available when rights are violated, the fact that there are so many different services, things like tribunals, civil courts, ombudsman, judicial reviews, and mediation, it shows that rights are still being violated often, or else we wouldn't need all of these different services.

If the system worked perfectly, people wouldn't need to rely on these mechanisms so frequently.

This shows us that vulnerable people can still be overlooked or mistreated even with those laws in place.

So while support does exist, it's not always easily accessible, it's not always quick to respond, and it's not always effective.

So therefore, we need to think about how we are using these services and how we are enhancing people's rights.

Let's do a check.

Explain in a sentence what an ombudsman is and what they do.

Pause your video now.

You might have said an ombudsman is an independent and impartial authority appointed to handle complaints made by individuals against organisations or public bodies.

They work to support people's rights when they feel they've been treated unfairly or unlawfully.

An ombudsman supports rights by providing fairness and impartiality.

They also provide consumer rights protection and access to justice.

Let's do a longer task to put this into practise.

I'd like you to consider the following statement.

If my rights are violated, there's no support available.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Write an answer considering what support there is available and whether this support is adequate or not.

Pause your video and have a go at this now.

Let's check our answers.

I asked you to consider the statement, if my rights are violated, there's no support available.

You might have said, I mostly disagree with the statement because there's actually a wide range of support available in the UK for people whose rights have been violated.

For example, the Equality Act 2010 protects people from discrimination due to nine protected characteristics, like disability, gender, or race.

If someone's treated unfairly at work, they can take the issue to an employment tribunal.

If they have a family issue, such as being denied access to their children, they can use civil law and go to a family court.

These systems exist to help people get justice when their rights are violated.

Support is also available through the Human Rights Act 1998, which allows individuals to take legal action if a public body, such as the NHS, police, or local authority, fails to respect their human rights and violates the rights from the European Convention on Human Rights.

These rights reflect international commitments, like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

People can also use ombudsman services, such as the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, to complain when services go wrong or even apply for a judicial review if they think the government has acted unlawfully.

However, the fact that so many different types of support are needed suggests that rights are still being violated regularly.

If the system worked perfectly, there would not be such a high demand for tribunals, courts, and complaint services.

For example, in 2024, a charity challenged the Home Office's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, arguing it violated their rights, which shows that vulnerable people can still fall through the systems. So while support exists, it's not always accessible, fast, or effective for everyone.

In conclusion, I disagree with the statement because there's a strong legal framework to protect our rights, supported by both civil law and international agreements.

However, I also recognise that the system doesn't always work fairly in practise, and some people's rights are still not fully protected.

Therefore, the support is there, but it's not always enough.

Today, we have been learning about how are my rights protected.

We have learned that the UDHR and the UNCRC set out international rights standards that the UK has agreed to follow.

The Human Rights Act 1998 and Equality Act 2010 bring these international commitments into UK law, making rights legally enforceable.

If right's are violated, individuals can use civil law to go to employment tribunals, county courts, or apply for a judicial review.

People can also get support through ombudsman services, such as the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, to resolve complaints or go to mediation.

Despite these protections, rights are still regularly violated in the UK, especially for vulnerable groups, and the support system is not always effective.

That's the end of today's lesson.

Thank you for joining me.