About us
BIHR’s is a UK-wide charity whose mission is support people and organisations to use human rights advocacy and approaches to achieve positive social change. Our vision is of a strong and just society, in which all people can live well and flourish, safe in the knowledge that their human rights are respected, protected, and fulfilled in their local communities and nationally.
Our model of supporting positive change includes working with people to ensure they know their human rights, enabling both them and the groups that support them to ensure human rights are upheld. We also work with public bodies, who have legal duties to uphold people's human rights; when these duties are not met, people's human rights may be risked or breached.
Our work with public bodies shows us that staff want to achieve the best possible outcomes for the people they support, although they are often facing tough decisions, tight time and budgetary constraints, and a complex maze of laws and regulations. Our Human Rights Act provides a legal framework that requires public bodies to uphold people's human rights whenever possible. By equipping staff with the knowledge, confidence and legal framework they need to back up rights-respecting decisions, we can help give them the courage to balance risks with rights and achieve better outcomes for people accessing services.
We also work to amplify the voices of the people we work with through our policy work, ensuring the real stories of how our Human Rights Act is being used across the UK reach the people with the power to change laws and systems. We are not a campaign group; we are a charity. This means that we must report to the Charity Commission and comply with Charity Law. This includes the requirements that we do not exist for a political purpose, that we are not partisan or party political, and that we only campaign insofar as it furthers our charitable objectives. Our charitable objectives are to promote human rights as set out in human rights laws, primarily the European Convention and the Human Rights Act within the UK. Our practical work is focused on the Human Rights Act in everyday life, outside the courtrooms. We do not offer legal advice, case work support or represent clients.
As a charity, BIHR is governed by a Board of Trustees, who delegate the running of BIHR to the CEO, Sanchita Hosali, who leads our staff team. We are a small, busy team, committed to the work we do, and to maintaining a positive and supportive team environment.