Proposals fail the community
NOW that the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has handed over its recommendations on a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland, it is time for an open and honest debate about the role which such a Bill can play in our society.
A Bill of Rights may help substantiate a commitment to a positive and 'just' future for Northern Ireland, but it is not a panacea for the many problems and hurts resulting from years of conflict.
The commission's recommendations fall in to the trap of too heavy an emphasis on individual rights which have the potential to further fracture our already fragmented community.
Focusing too exclusively on rights, with decision-making and interpretation left primarily to the judicial system, does nothing to enrich our understanding of society. Indeed it can lead to our appreciation of others solely in terms of the sum of those rights.
On the other hand, a political and social culture that values the dignity and potential of all human life will hold responsibility towards others, alongside the protection of rights, as critical to the functioning of a free and healthy society.
A focus on shared responsibilities has greater potential than an overly prescriptive Bill of Rights to transform our society through hope, imagination and active citizenship.
Stephen Cave
national director
Evangelical Alliance Northern Ireland
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Friday 25 May 2012
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