Rights Duties and Freedoms

RIGHTS, DUTIES AND FREEDOMS

Under the Human Rights Act 1998, which came into force in October 2000, there are certain rights and freedoms that are protected. The significance of this act is to offer legal rights to everyone in a democratic country. The United Kingdom does not have a written constitution, this is very unusual in a democracy, and our rights and freedoms have traditionally been protected by a presumption that we are free to do anything that is not covered by a specific forbidding law or piece of legislation. Under the Human Rights Act we now have that written confirmation of our rights, duties and freedoms. Anyone withholding those rights, for example wrongful imprisonment or racism is now liable for prosecution and possible imprisonment.

A citizen acquires certain rights at certain ages.

Sue for personal injury From birth

Watch a film with `U' classification 5

Watch a `PG' film with parents or guardian 5

Drink alcohol at home, if an adult provides it. 8

Fully criminally responsible 10

Be given a supervision order as a criminal sanction 10

Legally capable of rape 10

Be sent to a Secure training centre as a criminal sanction 12

Consent to sex, but if an adult obliges they are guilty of a criminal offence 13

Drink alcohol in a licensed premises if it is with a meal 16

Marry with judicial/ parental consent 16

Consent to heterosexual sex 16

Purchase cigarettes 16

Drive a car 17

Marry without consent 18

Have homosexual relations 18

Sent to prison 18

Make a will 18

Eligible to vote 18

Full legal rights in contract 18

Buy alcohol 18

Buy fireworks 18

Be tattooed 18

Human Rights

* Art (2) * Right to life

* Art (3) * Forbidding of torture

* Art (4) * Forbidding of slavery

* Art (5) Right to liberty

* Art (6) Right to a fair trail

* Art (7) * Prohibition on retrospective criminal offences

* Art (8) Right to respect for private and family life

* Art (9) Freedom of thought and expression

* Art (10) Freedom of expression

* Art (11) Freedom of assembly and association

* Art (12) Right to marry

* Art (14)*Freedom from discrimination

*Are absolute, they cannot be interfered with, others can be restricted in certain circumstances (up to the government of the day).

The acts states that a public authority must act according to the rights given by the convention, any person who feels they have suffered a breach may sue that authority, as in the case of wrongful arrest or imprisonment, over the past number of years there have been many such cases of prisoners being released from prisons on these grounds, with large, often excessive as some might say, amounts of compensation paid to those released. A public authority includes courts, councils, tribunals but not parliament.

Under Article (12) Heterosexual people have the right to marry at 16 with judicial/parental consent and without consent at 18, this act enables such a union to bring with it certain safeguards, for example the rights associated with property, inheritance tax and tax relief. The security of marriage brings with it a stable family environment, and should one of the marriage die, the spouse will be safe knowing that their home will be safe under rights of inheritance. The security that heterosexual marriage brings does not apply to same sex couples or transsexuals, as, until the Civil Partnership