A BILL OF RIGHTS – PUBLIC ASKED TO ‘MAKE IT RIGHT’

A third of children living in poverty, 600 older people die of cold here every year, 1700 sectarian attacks across the country last year and people with disabilities are twice as likely to be out of work in Northern Ireland.

 

That’s why we need a Bill of Rights, according to the Human Rights Consortium’s new ad campaign, called “Make it right.”

 

The campaign will consist of billboards across Northern Ireland, bus advertising, press ads and a range of other media channels.

 

Speaking at the launch of the campaign at Custom House Square in Belfast Fiona McCausland, Chairperson of the Consortium says:

 

“At a very basic level, a Bill of Rights is a contract between the government and the people. It means the government will be more accountable and responsible, so that the things we lobby and campaign for today, will be our right in the future.

 

A Bill of Rights will protect everyone in society equally, meaning we all have access to strong human rights protections.

 

The Bill of Rights is for everyone – young and old, Catholic and Protestant, rich and poor. We are a society looking forward, moving away from conflict and we need the basic building blocks to make sure this happens. The government needs to know that there’s a set of rules out there which they are socially answerable to.

 

One in three children in Northern Ireland lives in poverty. At a basic level, this means that countless children here have no winter coat to wear to school or have no breakfast in the mornings because their parents can’t afford it. It is issues like these, where a strong Bill of Rights could really help vulnerable and marginalised groups, by providing them with protections and acting as a basic safety net.

 

We need a strong Bill of Rights, but it will only be inclusive and representative if the people of Northern Ireland get behind it. It’s up to every individual to make sure that this Bill represents them. We want people to have their voices heard. The Human Rights Consortium’s new website – www.billofrightsni.org – allows people to lobby easily online.”