S • Effectiveness: Human stories are a great way health legislation, according to its Director of
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to communicate key campaign messages – Service Users and Carers, Lindsey Dyer.
I
O
individual testimony is very powerful. Also, • But is this involvement any more than a
human rights campaigning does not need to window dressing exercise? Service user
be confrontational to be effective; human Mary O’Reilly explained that it is. Mary is
S
E
S
S
rights language can be used in dialogue and bipolar and joined the Trust just as they were
P
negotiation. beginning to apply a human rights based
approach. She described how all interview
O
Human rights campaigning does not need to be
panels now include a service user or carer,
S
H
confrontational to be effective – we can use human
to try to ensure that service users feel
K
comfortable with those recruited. Taking
rights language in dialogue and negotiation.
R
ownership of their rights has empowered
service users, giving them the confidence to
discuss their own treatment and participate in
WO
Recommendations
• Frame campaigns around a specific issue and
a range of activities, knowing that their voices
then communicate them using human rights
are valued and incorporated into decision-
language.
making processes. However, challenges remain.
• Keep an eye out for relevant bills going
Negative attitudes towards service users and
mental health services are still widespread, and
through parliament, provide information to the
this means continued support is necessary.
groups affected, and lobby for amendments.
Greater resources – both human and financial
• Guidelines for the third sector should be
– are also needed to support the process.
created, providing information on how to use
human rights in effective campaigning.
• Partnerships can be productive – specialist
Taking ownership of their rights has empowered
human rights campaigning organisations such
service users, giving them the confidence to discuss
as Liberty should support other organisations,
their own treatment and participate in decision-
helping them to understand how human rights
making processes.
campaigning can work for them.
• A human rights based approach can also
From needs to rights:
be an empowering tool within advocacy,
supporting people to have their voices heard
can human rights and their needs recognised and sufficiently
language empower
provided for. Katja Huijbers, Head of Training
at Action for Advocacy, explained that the
people experiencing poor Human Rights Act enables people to self-
treatment and/or exclusion
advocate for their rights and reminds health,
care and social services professionals to
from public services? uphold them. This can mean questioning the
approach adopted by service providers or the
Overview
decisions made by public bodies, supporting
Working with the public and third sectors, BIHR
people to seek legal advice, speaking to staff
has found that human rights ideas and language
to raise awareness of potential breaches and
can be used to empower both users of public
providing opportunities for them to change
services and public sector staff to challenge
their practices.
poor treatment and raise standards for all. The
• Unfortunately, Action for Advocacy found
task now is to promote human rights based
that only 10% of advocates questioned during
approaches throughout the public services –
their human rights training said that they had
from the bottom to the very top.
actively referred to the Human Rights Act
in their work. Advocates do not need to be
Presentations Human Rights Act experts, Katja said, but
• The language of human rights is very rarely they need to be able to use human rights
16 heard in the NHS, but Mersey Care NHS Trust language, know where to seek expertise and
has found a human rights based approach to clarification, and emphasise the obligations on
be extremely useful in the context of mental public authorities.
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