High school pupils visit Edinburgh Law School for human rights lecture and workshop

On Tuesday, 18 March 2025 pupils from Firrhill High School’s UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Equality Group and aspiring future lawyers visited Edinburgh Law School for a lecture and workshop on human rights.

Dr Kasey McCall-Smith answered the students’ questions regarding the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in Scotland - highlighting the tripartite ‘respect, protect, and fulfil’ approach to human rights. The talk also covered how to exercise your rights, understanding who are duty-bearers, and how the pupils can shape the future of the UNCRC in Scotland by getting involved with the Scottish Youth Parliament.

The lecture was followed by workshop led by Agata Dzasko. The workshop covered the Human Rights Act (1998) and the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR). During the workshop pupils looked at real cases from the European Court of Human Rights. Pupils were asked to think how Absolute, Qualified and Limited Rights were affected in each case, the court’s reasoning, and the decision of the courts.

Dr Susanna Macdonald-Mulvihill concluded the visit with a brief talk and Q&A session about university admissions, studying law and potential careers. The visit gave pupils a chance to hear about human rights in real life context, and gave them insight into studying law at Edinburgh Law School.