The Human Rights Act 1998 was part of Labour's 1997 manifesto and made the European Convention of Human Rights part of British law.
Before it took effect in 2000, individuals had to go to the European Court of Justice in Strasbourg to bring a case. Much of the ground for young people was covered by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by Britain in 1991, but this set of principles is not legally binding.
Since the arrival of the Human Rights Act, there have been a number of controversial cases. In March 2005 Denbigh High School lost a case in the Court of Appeal to a Muslim pupil, 16-year-old Shabina Begum, who wanted to wear a traditional gown in class. The court ruled the school had failed to consider the Act in its uniform policy. However, the following year, the House of Lords ruled in favour of the school over Begum, who was supported by the Children's Legal Centre.
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