Human rights guide - easy read version

What are Human Rights?

• Human Rights are rules that protect people.
• Every person in the world has Human Rights.
• They cannot be taken from you. Sometimes they can be limited to protect you, or others.
• Some of our Human Rights are protected by UK law, and others are protected by international law.

What Rights do I have in the UK?

We must follow an international law called the European Convention on Human Rights. This law says:

You have a right to life

Nobody can try and end your life. People like Government and Police should think about your right to life when making decisions that could affect you.

You have a right to be free from torture and cruelty

Nobody has the right to hurt you. People like the Police must protect you if you are being treated this way.
 
You have a right to be free from slavery

Nobody can treat you like a slave. You cannot be made to work for free.

Right to safety and freedom

You have the right to be free. You should not be arrested or locked up for no good reason.

You have the right to a fair trial

If you are arrested and taken to court, you are innocent until proven guilty. You have the right to defend yourself. And get legal help. Only a court can say you are guilty of a crime.
 
No punishment without law

You can only be guilty of a crime if it was against the law when you did it.

You have the right to your private life

You have the right to live your life your way. Without other people trying to tell you how to live.

You have the right to think and believe what you want

You have the right to believe what you want. Others cannot tell you what to believe.

You have the right to express your opinions

You have the right to have your own opinions and views. And to tell others what they are.
 
You have the right to take part in peaceful protests

You have the right to get together with other people in a peaceful way, to stand up for what you believe in.

You have the right to get married and have children

UK law says how and at what age you can do this.

You should be protected from unfair treatment

Everyone has equal rights. You should not be treated unfairly because of things like your age, beliefs, or disability.
 
You have the right enjoy the things you own

Nobody can interfere with the things you own or the way you use them, without very good reason.

You have the right to education

You have the right to use schools and colleges.

You have the right to take part in elections

Elections are when you vote for someone or something. They must be free and fair. Who you vote for must be kept secret.

No death penalty

You cannot be sentenced to death for any crime.

What does it mean to me?

People working in public services, like the Council, Police or NHS, have a duty by UK law to protect these rights.

This is important, it means you can:

• Speak up.
• Talk to your services about whether they are respecting and protecting your human rights.
• Work with services to find better answers without needing to go to court or use a lawyer.

What are we doing in Swansea?

Swansea is becoming a Human Rights City.

This means our public services have promised to put human rights at the centre of everything they do.

They must do this by law.
 
We will keeping looking into how we can improve Human Rights laws here in Swansea.

We want Swansea to be a city where:

• everyone is equal.
• people understand their rights, and respect the rights of others.
• people participate in decisions that affect them.

We are working to improve Human Rights through looking after our environment and taking action on the climate emergency.

We think about the Rights of Children in all our work and we will keep working to improve this.

How to get involved

You can offer your support to help Swansea become Wales's first Human Rights City:

Go to A Human Rights City and click the red Make your Human Rights pledge button.

Or e-mail us: humanrights@swansea.gov.uk 

Or call us: 01792636000

Help us look after our environment

You can pledge or promise to help us look after our environment on Climate pledge.

Or by writing to us:

Climate Change
Swansea Council
Civic Centre
Oystermouth Road
Swansea
SA1 3SN

For more information about Rights

Swansea Council's Children's Rights Team
Website: Children and young people's rights
Email: UNCRC@swansea.gov.uk
Phone: 07929719528
 
The British Institute of Human Rights
Website: The British Institute of Human Rights (bihr.org.uk) (opens new window)
Phone: 02030393646

Older People's Commissioner for Wales
Website: Older People’s Commissioner for Wales (opens new window)
Email: ask@olderpeoplewales.com
Phone: 03442640670
 
Children's Commissioner for Wales
Website: Children's Commissioner for Wales (opens new window)
Email: advice@childcomwales.org.uk
Phone: 01792765600

Future Generations Commissioner for Wales
Can help people use the law to question public services about plans for the future
Website: Future Generations Commissioner for Wales (futuregenerations.wales) (opens new window)
Email: contactus@futuregenerations.wales
Phone: 02921677400

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
More about human rights protected by international law: 
Website: United Nations Human Rights (ohchr.org) (opens new window)
Email: ohchr-InfoDesk@un.org
Phone: +41229179220

Equality and Human Rights Commission in Wales
Website: Equality Act 2010 (Equality and Human Rights Commission) (opens new window)