Scottish Human Rights Commission releases Annual Report

The Scottish Human Rights Commission’s Annual Report for 2019-20 has been unveiled along with the Commission’s audited Annual Accounts for the same period.

Like every other institution in Scotland, the Commission ended 2019-20 dealing with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This presented a twofold challenge: the need to provide rapid and robust scrutiny and input to a raft of emergency legislation and policy measures, alongside the need to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of the Commission's staff.

Judith Robertson, the Chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission, said: "I am pleased that we were able to rise to this challenge successfully, which is testament to the solid work we have put into our operations over preceding years, and to the skill and commitment of our staff team."

A key theme of the Commission's work in 2019-20 was strengthening accountability for failures to protect people’s rights. During the year, it used its legal powers to intervene in civil litigation for the first time, in a case challenging the use of “lock changes” to force people seeking asylum from their accommodation in Glasgow.

You can read the Annual Report here.