Scottish Human Rights Commission publishes Annual Report 2024 2025

The Scottish Human Rights Commission publishes its Annual Report for 2024-25, marking the first year of delivery under its Strategic Plan 2024-28.

At a time when human rights are under increasing pressure, the SHRC has focused on strengthening accountability, amplifying lived experience and embedding a stronger human rights culture across Scotland.

The Annual Report 2024-25 highlights the following:

  • SHRC launched its first State of the Nation report, on civil and political rights, to support the Scottish Parliament and other public bodies to understand and meet their obligation under human rights law.
  • SHRC research revealed serious gaps in the realisation of human rights in the Highlands and Islands, with many people unable to afford housing, to heat their homes or to travel to access healthcare. The Scottish Parliament held a debate on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the Highlands and Islands.
  • As part of the UK National Preventive Mechanism, SHRC examined human rights in prisons and mental health settings, and it found that international recommendations had not been implemented.
  • SHRC found that many disabled and autistic people still have no choice but to live in institutions despite government promises. SHRC worked with human rights defenders on a participation project to co-create two tools for people with learning disabilities, autistic people and people who support them.
  • SHRC has new legal powers to bring or intervene in cases about children’s rights.

The Scottish Human Rights Commission laid its Annual Report for 2024-25 before the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday 29 October 2025.

Professor Angela O’Hagan, Chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission said:

“We are an independent, expert body that works with and for the people of Scotland; we monitor, listen, speak up for all of our rights and respond when things go wrong.”

“At a time when human rights feel increasingly precarious, our role as Scotland’s National Human Rights Institution is more important than ever. We are working to make it impossible for legislators and decision makers to ignore human rights.

“Human rights are not about abstract principles, but the reality of everyday life. By framing people’s challenges not just as local issues, but as rights violations, we strengthen and amplify their voice.

“As respect for the rule of law and the dignity and equality of individuals are increasingly challenged, I call upon all of us in Scotland to recognise the humanity of the person standing beside us and work together to ensure that respect unites us.”

The full Scottish Human Rights Commission Annual Report 2024–25 is available to read on our website and available as a screen reader accessible Word version, Easy Read and in British Sign Language.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

  1. The Commission is Scotland’s National Human Rights Institution. We are set up in law to protect people’s rights and to hold government and public bodies to account. The Commission is accountable to the people of Scotland through the Scottish Parliament. We also report directly to the United Nations on human rights issues in Scotland.
  2. We developed a Theory of Change to measure the impact of our work and you can read our Theory of Change 2024-28.
  3. This framework guides SHRC’s actions through our 2024-28 Strategic Plan and you can read our Strategic Plan 2024-28.
  4. The publication of this Annual Report meets Section 15 and 16 of the Scottish Commission for Human Rights Act 2006, which requires the Commission to lay an Annual Report before the Scottish Parliament and to publish it more widely.