Equality and rights

The importance of human rights is fundamental to Scotland’s beliefs on how people should be treated. We believe that all human beings are entitled to basic rights and freedoms, which is why we strive to create an inclusive Scotland that protects, respects, promotes and fulfils internationally recognised human rights.

On 10 December 1948, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – the first proclamation of human rights ever created. In the years since, countries around the world have come together on the anniversary of its introduction to celebrate this momentous declaration.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights actually holds the record as the world’s ‘most translated document’. Since its introduction, the declaration has been reproduced in an incredible 500 different languages and dialects. The document itself consists of 30 articles which layout any individual’s inalienable rights as a human, regardless of their nation, location, language, religion, ethnic origin or any other status.

Scotland’s reputation

As many people know and experience during their time here, Scotland has a world-renowned reputation for being a warm and open country; welcoming all people in a manner that perfectly encapsulates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We also take great pride in our standing as a good global citizen, ensuring that we help those in need not just within our country, but also around the world.

Whether it’s our unwavering commitment to LGBTQI+ rights, our pioneering work in the fight for gender equality, our long history of welcoming refugees and asylum seekers from all over the world who need a place of safety, or the incredible work we’re doing through our International Development Fund – Scotland fully embraces every human’s fundamental rights.

Children’s rights

The Scottish Government’s aspiration is for making Scotland the best place in the world for children and young people to grow up. We understand that parenting is one of the most important ‘roles’ anyone can have and we have a number of initiatives in place, like our incredible Baby Box, to help families right across the country and ensure every child is given an equal start in life.

Scotland is dedicated to becoming the best place in the world for children to grow up, where children’s human rights are embedded in all aspects of society. A country where policy, law and decision making take account of their rights and they have a voice and are empowered to be human rights defenders. We want to recognise, respect and promote children’s rights. These include rights to be treated fairly, to be heard and to be as healthy as possible.

Some of these rights are set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). This is an internationally agreed document that recognises the importance of children’s rights and freedoms with a focus on the best interests of the child. Scotland is the first UK nation to incorporate the UNCRC directly into law, through the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024 and these rights apply to all babies, children and young people, from birth to age 18. 

The UNCRC Act gives public authorities like schools, health boards, local councils the police and the criminal justice system a legal responsibility to uphold children's rights, so they must think about children's rights when making certain decisions that affect them. They also need to report every three years on steps they have taken to secure better or further effect of the UNCRC requirements. 

Parents and families, communities, local and national governments, and organisations which work with children and families, all play a critical role in helping children understand and experience their rights. 

The Act is a landmark piece of legislation that incorporates the UNCRC into Scots law, empowers our children and young people to claim their rights and will help to make Scotland the best place in the world to grow up. We are the first devolved government in the world to directly incorporate the UNCRC.

We are taking steps to ensure that children enjoy their rights, as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

These include:

• Implementing the UNCRC and incorporating it into Scots law to make it unlawful for public authorities, including the Scottish Government, to act incompatibly with the UNCRC requirements
• An action plan to help children and young people experience their rights
• Using the Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) to ensure that our policies and legislation protect and promote the rights and wellbeing of children and young people
• Reporting on our progress to the Scottish Parliament and as part of the UK’s responsibilities as a state party to the UNCRC, to the United Nations 

Disabled rights

Scotland should be a place where all disabled people can live the lives they choose, with the support they need to do so. It should be a place where everyone is enabled to participate fully in society, access their rights, take advantage of opportunities, and thrive in their communities.  

In June 2025, the Scottish Government published its Disability Equality Plan. The lived experience of disabled people is at the heart of decision making. By taking action now in some of the most pressing areas, such as mental health and improving the accessibility of advice and support services, we will create the environment needed to deliver long term change. 

We will continue to work closely with Disabled People’s Organisations to deliver on the important actions in the plan and to develop the next phase of our wider strategy to create a fairer Scotland for disabled people.  

Gender equality

We are actively working to tackle gender inequality and we’re proud of the progress we have made and are determined to go much further.  

We recognise that there are many complex drivers of gender inequality including, but not limited to, occupational segregation and gender stereotyping. Our Fair Work Action Plan sets out our approach to tackling workforce inequalities experienced by women, disabled people, racialised minorities and the over 50s. By promoting Fair Work, we’re supporting more people to enter, remain and progress in employment. 

Actions from the plan likely to benefit women include promoting the adoption of the real living wage and real living hours and the benefits of flexible working to employers and providing support for employers on how to apply positive action measures to increase the representation of women and other groups who face barriers in the workplace.  

We are also working with employers and trade unions in sectors where low pay and precarious work are most prevalent to promote Fair Work agreements and collective bargaining to achieve higher standards of pay, better security of work, and greater union representation.  

Alongside this, wider work is ongoing across government to address drivers of the gender pay gap including the suitable provision of childcare and social care as well as action to tackle occupational segregation through education and skills. 

In Scotland we have made it law to provide access to free period products to anyone that needs them. We have developed an ambitious Women’s Health Plan to address women’s specific health inequalities. We’re also investing in our Equally Safe Strategy to tackle violence against women and girls.  

We know there is more to do, and we are committed to continue to take forward work to protect, promote and improve gender equality, recognising intersectional inequality, in Scotland. 

We’re just as dedicated to this cause on an international level. Advancing gender equality is a key aim of our international development work and, alongside our equalities programme, we’re embedding gender equality considerations across our entire international development portfolio. This includes in our new health, inclusive education and peace programmes which we launched over the last year.  

Our new Women and Girls Fund, within our international development equalities programme, directly supports women- and girl-led organisations in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia to define and meet their own priorities as they promote gender equality. This ensures that this initiative is led by women and girls in our partner countries, supporting them to drive forward transformational change. 

LGBTQI+ Rights

Scotland has seen many changes to its LGBTQI+ rights since the repeal of Section 28 in 2000. 

Since 2005, LGBTQI+ couples have been able to enter into civil partnerships under Scottish law, and in 2014 this was expanded to include LGBTQI+ marriages as well. In 2009, restrictions on LGBTQI+ individuals and couples looking to adopt children were lifted, and since 2023 one in eight adoptions in Scotland have been to LGBTQI+ parents. 

In 2021, Scotland became the first country in the world to develop an LGBTQI+ curriculum; a national approach which has encouraged inclusive education across the country. In 2023, Scotland also published their Hate Crime Strategy, which aims to protect all those with protected characteristics including LGBTQI+ individuals from hatred and prejudice.

Pride events occur across the country every summer, with the Edinburgh Pride (Scotland’s longest running Pride event) attracting crowds of 40,000 in recent years. Beyond Pride, Scotland has a vibrant LGBTQI+ community.

Read more about Scotland’s LGBTQI+ community and our commitment to an inclusive, progressive culture.

Racial discrimination

Although Scotland has a strong national identity, this doesn’t stop us from embracing new cultures and new people. More than 170 languages are spoken in Scotland and these languages reflect a modern and inclusive country. We value Scotland’s diverse minority ethnic communities, the contribution they make to our society and the important role they play in enriching Scotland socially, culturally, and economically.

That’s why we published the Race Equality Framework 2016-30 (gov.scot) that sets out a long-term vision for race equality - that in 2030 people in Scotland are healthier, happier and treated with respect, and where opportunities, wealth and power are spread more equally.  

As part of this, we allocated nearly £6.3 million over the past few years to fund organisations who are dedicated to advancing race equality and anti-racism. 

An example is a collaboration with Glasgow Caledonian University. Together, they’re working to develop a process that will enable people from overseas who have migrated to Scotland to gain the correct recognition for the skills and qualifications they gained outside of Scotland. This will make it easier for those from overseas who want to live and work in Scotland to ensure their unique skills and achievements are recognised.