The International Human Rights Framework

Children and young people’s rights are human rights, and are part of a system that protects the rights of everyone in the world. This is known as the International Human Rights Framework.

How do human rights work in a system like this?

Human rights are a series of promises to people that have been developed throughout history. Today, they are part of international law.

Rights promises are made by States to the people who live within them. Scotland is part of the State of the UK, so both the UK and Scottish Governments have made human rights promises to people here.

Human rights organisations and legal systems exist to help States keep these promises at an international level or at a regional level— the level of the whole world, or a large part of it like Europe or Africa. They can help people seek redress if rights promises aren’t kept and hold States to account when this happens.