Time for debate to begin on bill of rights
From The Irish News - 27th September 2001
By Patrick Corrigan and Martin O'Brien
AS a cross-community consortium of non-governmental organisations, trade unions and community groups across Northern Ireland, we wish wholeheartedly to welcome the recent publication of the draft Bill of Rights by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.
The publication of this comprehensive consultation document is a major contribution to the public discourse on an inclusive bill of rights.
It comes after many months of discussion and debate in community halls and front rooms throughout Northern Ireland and hundreds of submissions to the NI Human Rights Commission.
However, much more debate is needed.
Our members include some of Northern Ireland's largest trade unions and groups working on issues such as disability, race, Travellers, women, children and young people.
We represent tens of thousands of people from across the community and as such would urge everyone to read the proposals and feed in their views to the consultation process.
A bill of rights has the potential to be one of the most important documents ever likely to be written in Northern Ireland.
It will create a human rights framework within which everyone living here agrees to abide.
If we as a society could secure agreement about the protection of minorities, about the meaning of 'due process', about the need to end discrimination, about the basic needs of all human beings in terms of housing, health, education, and so on... we would have developed an exciting and shared vision for a much better future.
It is crucial that as many people as possible get involved over the next few months in this key phase of the human rights consultation.
A lively and full debate in the community at large is the best way of ensuring that we get the bill of rights we deserve and need.
Copies of the proposals can be found in local libraries or are available directly from the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (Temple Court, 39 North Street, Belfast. Telephone 028 9024 3987; Website: www.nihrc.org).
Members of the public should submit their views to the NI Human Rights Commission by December 1 2001.
On behalf of the Ad Hoc Human Rights Consortium (members listed below):
Amnesty International, Assoc of Independent Advice Centres, Barnardos, Belfast & District Trades Council, Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre, Children's Law Centre, Chinese Welfare Association, Coalition on Sexual Orientation, Committee on the Administration of Justice, Community Development & Health Network, Community Dialogue, Confederation of Community Groups, Newry Conference of Religious in Ireland, Council for Homeless NI, Derry Trades Council, Disability Action, Foyle Friend, Greater Shankill Alternatives, Help the Aged, Intercomm Law Centre, NI Linc Resource Centre, Low Pay Unit (Ireland), Making Women Seen and Heard, Multi-Cultural Resource Centre, NIACRO, NI Business Education Partnership, NI Committee - Irish Congress of Trade Unions, NICDA, Social Economic Agency, NI Council for Ethnic Minorities, NI Council for Voluntary Action, NI Public Service Alliance, NI Women's Aid Federation, NI Women's European Platform, NI Youth Forum, NW Consortium on Human Rights, Old Warren Partnership, Omagh Forum for Rural Associations, Organisation of the Unemployed, NI POBAL, Rights in Community Care, Rural Community Network, Springfield Inter Community Development Project, Save The Children, Soroptomist, International Traveller Movement, NI Ulster People's College, UNISON, Upper Springfield Development Trust, West Belfast Economic Forum, Women's Information Group, Women Into Politics, Women Together Moving On, Women's Support Network Worker's Educational Association |
