Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights

The SACHR was an official body which was established under the 1973 Constitution Act. The body was set up to monitor how effective anti-discrimination laws and regulations were in effect. The SACHR has produced a range of reports over the years. The body has been independent of, and on numerous occasions, highly critical of many aspects of the administration of Northern Ireland. It pressed that laws on divorce and homosexuality should be brought into line with the rest of the UK; it supported the use of three-judge courts to deal with offences related to the conflict; it urged the ending of Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) exclusion orders; it called for a review of the law on the use of reasonable force by the security forces; it has also issued reports on fair employment, a Bill of Rights, race relations, and disability. The SACHR was replaced by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) on 1 March 1999. List of SACHR Publications