Poverty

Human Rights and Poverty Project
 

BIHR has been funded by the City Parochial Foundation, the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation to provide support to up to six London-based voluntary and community sector organisations that are working with and for people facing poverty or social injustice. The support aims to help organisations use human rights to strengthen their voice and influence with national and local policy makers. Both during and after the project, we will examine what works in order to draw out learning and tools for a wider range of groups to use.

From May 09 until December 2010 BIHR is supporting participating groups to:

• build awareness, skills and knowledge in human rights
• build awareness of how human rights can be used to influence a policy maker or public body to make changes to a policy or practice
• develop and deliver human rights based influencing activities (campaigning, lobbying, advocacy) on a specific issue/area relevant to their community or group

Information on the six organisations participating in the project can be found below and more information on their progress including successes and challenges will be updated over the coming year.

Irish Traveller Movement in Britain
The Irish Travellers Movement in Britain seeks to raise the profile of Irish Travellers in Britain and increase their say in decision making processes and forums. The ITMB seeks to challenge discrimination and develop national policies that ensure the inclusion of Irish Travellers in all levels of society.

More information

London Refugee Voice
London Refugee Voice is a membership organisation of Refugee Community Organisations (RCOs) in London. LRV seeks to strengthen the ability of RCOs to advocate and lobby on refugee issues, and to enhance their capacity and to support and assist RCOs in making their organisation efficient and effective.

More information

Pecan
Pecan helps transform the lives of disadvantaged people through various training and motivational projects in local communities. Pecan's focus is in helping unemployed people get and hold satisfying jobs. Training courses, new enterprises and projects work directly with young people, refugees and asylum seekers, ex-offenders and Incapacity Benefit, Income Support, and Job seekers Allowance claimants to help transform individuals and communities.

More information

Praxis

Praxis is an organisation whose mission is "to be with displaced communities, listening and acting through our common humanity to create and nurture reconciliation, human rights and social justice."  Since its inception 26 years ago, Praxis has worked with refugees, asylum seekers and other vulnerable migrants, helping them on their journey from newly arrived migrants to settlement in the UK.

More information

Women in Prison
Women in Prison (WiP) has been supporting and campaigning for women offenders and ex-offenders since it was set up in 1983 by a former prisoner.  In dealing with the root causes of women's offending and empowering women to campaign for changes to the criminal justice system, based upon their experiences, WiP aims to limit, and where possible, prevent the damage and disruption done to women as a result of their contact with the criminal justice system.

More information

Housing Justice
Housing Justice is the national voice of Christian action in the field of homelessness and challenging decent housing. HJ supports night shelters, drop-ins, soup run forums, and hundreds of other practical projects nationwide by providing advice and training for churches and other community groups who work with homeless people and asylum seekers.

More information

Human Rights and Poverty Roundtable

In January 2008 BIHR held a roundtable meeting in partnership with Oxfam, Amnesty UK and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation to explore the relevance and potential of human rights for poverty eradication in the UK, identifying opportunities for further dialogue and collaboration. This discussion was attended by a range of individuals and civil society organisations working in the fields of human rights, poverty or both, with a view to exploring and sharing each others’ perspectives.

The report from the meeting can be downloaded here.

Also available is a pre-briefing paper prepared for the meeting by BIHR and Oxfam.

For more information on our poverty work please contact Roisin Cavanagh on rcavanagh@bihr.org.uk.