Citizenship- Theme 1- Rights and Responsibilities

Theme 1- Rights and Responsibilities

• Everyone has rights, but these rights come with obligations and responsibilities
•  Human rights are stated in documents such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
•  Although human rights are supposed to apply to every citizen on the planet, they are not usually applied in a country unless they are written into laws and become legal rights
•  Legal rights are built into laws of state and can be enforced in court
•  Moral rights are based on values or conscience.
•  Civil or political rights include freedom of speech and the right to vote
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• Freedoms come from common law or are incorporated into international statements of human rights
•  Freedoms include freedom to religious belief, freedom from discrimination and freedom of movement
• Young people aged 16 or 17 can get married on serve in the armed forces, so the Votes at 16 campaign says they should also have the right to vote
• Minimum ages are set to protect individuals and society

• London is a multicultural, diverse city. The East End is an example of an area with many ethnic groups, poverty and wealth
• Multiple indentities mean that different people can all identify as East Enders
• Racist tensions arise when people are isolated and therefore ignorant
• Push factors are when people flee their own country because of poverty or persecution- they become asylum seekers
• Pull factors are when people go to a country because of better jobs or quality of life - they become economic migrants

• Communities in the UK differ in terms of income, jobs, housing and ethnicity
•  People from other countries take a citizenship test in order to become British citizens
•  Successful integration depends on local residents not feeling threatened by new arrivals in terms of jobs or housing
•  New and existing citizens often move between communities
•  Life expectancy is an average that reflects the number of years a particular group could expect to live

• Credit cards are convenient and you can get compensation if you but something like a holdiay. However, they can be expensive
• A debit card simply transfers money from a bank account without charging interest
• Buyers have rights to be sold safe, good quality, fit for purpose, durable and free from minor faults
• Unsafe goods can never be sold and can lead to the prosecution of manufacturers
• Sellers have rights too, they have the right to refuse a refund.

• Trade union membership has fallen dramatically
• When unemployment rose in the 1980's, union membership fell, as new jobs were on short contracts
• Nowadays, people don't join as they don't expect to be at a job for a long time
• Some individuals can make a big difference in a firm and be key players- thats  why they match applicants against a person specification and a job description before appointing them
• Workers are protected by laws like the Sex Discrimination Act and the Race Relations Act
• A contract of employment gives details on pay, working hours and holidays
• If an employee's conduct is unsuitable, the employer will give a verbal warning, then a written warning then a dismissal

• The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948 and defines human rights in detail
• A Human Rights Council has been established to improve human rights were they are denied
• A Commissioner is appointed to work with government leaders and puts pressure on countries to improve their record
• The UN aims to eliminate racial discrimination, genocide, poverty and child mortality
• The UN supports primary education, the disabled and people with HIV/ Aids, malaria and other diseases
• The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child shows that there are problems in the UK such as high exclusion rates and low age of criminal responsibility

• The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) aims to give people who live in European states a list of rights (incl. right to life, fair trial and freedom of expression)
•  The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg take cases from people who do not win in their own courts- they have the power to overrule national courts
•  The European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg rules over European Law and can overrule UK law.
• ECtHR deals with more individual cases but the ECJ still has the power to affect many people
• Provisions expressed in general terms allow judges to interpret cases to keep decisions up to date

• ECHR into UK law means that UK citizens can save time and money if they have a case
• If existing UK law conflicts with ECHR, senior judges have to consider making a "declaration of compatibility". The Government then decides whether to amend UK law
• Some people and newspapers have criticised the Human Rights Act as it gives rights to everyone (even criminals)
• The Human Rights Act has changed the justice system, and there is a better chance that people will receive the rights that they are entitled to

• Rights and responsibilities are like a two-sided coin, you can’t have one without the other
• One person exercising a right might impose a responsibility on another person, and both have to agree to this
• Rights are never absolute or unlimited

• The new UK Identity Card will show the photograph, name, Dob, nationality, immigration status
• They are meant to protect against identity fraud and combat the threat of terrorism and crime
• However, some people think that they are a bad idea as the government might lose data or they may not work as deterrents of terrorism or crime as criminals/terrorists may want people to know that they did it
• People can be held in detention without charge in the UK for much longer periods than in any other countries
• Many believe that the UK is a “surveillance society”, but these fears are unjustified as the monitoring keeps us safe

• UK citizens have rights to religious freedom and in many parts of the UK religion leaders work together.
• Faith groups undertake good work, but often not all faiths are included
• Religion can cause division in society, with believers acting like rival tribes
• Tolerance is the avoidance of discrimination between groups on grounds of faith or belief- some question whether UK citizens are sufficiently tolerant
• In 2006, the UK passed a law that makes it illegal to “stir up” hatred against a person on grounds of religion
• Although UK law allows citizens to practice their religion, they also have the responsibility to respect UK law

• The rights to free expression in the UK must be understood alongside the right to privacy
• The right of movement means that people can come from overseas to work but they often do jobs that UK citizens don't want to do
• UK citizens have every right to fear terrorist activity which can threaten public safety but that does not allow us to deny rights to others or place them in a position of danger