Rethink Rights - an introduction

Your human and civil rights are rights that can be enforced by law in the United Kingdom under the Human Rights Act 1998. These are rights you have as a human being and a citizen of the United Kingdom (provided you live within it's laws).

Human rights are about protecting our basic needs as human beings. They belong to everyone all of the time and cannot be taken away. These rights include the right not to be tortured and the right to respect for family and private life. These are referred to as negative rights because they prevent things happening to you.

Civil rights are positive rights because they do more than protect people; they give people active rights to participate in society, rights like the right to liberty or the right to vote. When people talk about civil rights they often think of movements like the struggles for equality for women and Afro-Americans.

Civil rights are very important  because they mean you are able to satisfy your aspirations and live a fulfilling life. For example in the UK we have a right to education. Education enables people to go on to take up employment or further education. But if you are a service user or carer who has had your education disrupted due to a period of illness or caring for a friend, or relative, then if you are unable to return to education you are unable to fulfil your human potential. This is the kind of issue that must be tackled by campaigning for the civil rights of service users and carers.

Rethink believes that all people are equal citizens and have the right to fulfill their aspirations and potential to participate in society. We want to make sure people's rights reflect this.

This is not just about meeting basic needs such as a home, work and security for those who cannot work, but that people that people are able to function as citizens within modern society.

This is about access to healthcare, social services and education. Discrimination must not stop people achieving their potential.

We are fighting for the right to ensure that people can participate and achieve things when they are well and that they are provided with decent care when necessary. 

Much of the work we already do within Rethink is dedicated to helping protect people's rights and, inform and empower people in order to use their rights in society.

Words such as choice and recovery, social exclusion and equality are not new to us. For example Rethink's National Advice Service provides expert advice and information to people experiencing, or who have experienced mental health, those who care for them, mental health professionals and the media.

Our anti-discrimination work is a fundamental piece of this agenda. We have currently undertaken two large Rethink Anti-Discrimination pilots in Norwich and Northern Ireland.