5 Ways the European Convention on Human Rights makes the UK a better place
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We all want to live in a society where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. The European Convention on Human Rights helps us towards this dream. Here’s how.
1. The ECHR puts your basic rights into law
The European Convention on Human Rights (often shortened to just ECHR) was drafted in the aftermath of the Second World War and the Holocaust.
Its goal was to make sure the atrocities committed would never be repeated, by declaring the basic rights and freedoms of every single person which must be respected and protected by the State.
The United Kingdom played an important role in the birth of the convention. Winston Churchill was a driving force behind it, and British lawyers were key to drafting the text.
The ECHR came into force 70 years ago on 3 September 1953, guaranteeing everyone’s fundamental rights in law for the first time.
2. The ECHR protects every single person in the UK
The United Kingdom was one of the first states to sign up to the ECHR way back in 1951.
The ...
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