Following on from their successful annual lecture on Anti-Terrorism in October, JACRU (Justice and Communities Research Unit) hosted another high profile event on 25th November. The forum 'Human Rights - why should I care?' brought together some very distinguished speakers for a panel expertly chaired by Boni Soames, and covered many legal, personal and political implications of the Human Rights Act and the European Convention. The speakers all put forward eloquent, well reasoned and thought provoking accounts of issues arising in relation to the following sorts of rights: the right to privacy, the right not to be tortured, the right not to be homeless and the right not to experience discrimination.

One of the key themes was the need to keep reaffirming and articulating rights in the face of misunderstanding and sometimes wilful distortion of the issues and the facts of the act. There were many controversial debates that will continue to be of interest, including proposals for a British Bill of Rights, the relationship between legislation and rights, the specific remit and implementation of legislation, and recent developments that test (for example) the right to privacy - the nature and extent of data collection on individuals.

JACRU and the Citizens Advice Bureau worked together to present the forum which attracted a wide audience and was followed by a reception in the Ruskin Gallery. JACRU looks forward to hosting such insightful and successful collaborative ventures in the future.

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