| | | Cymraeg |  | News from the Equality and Human Rights Commission
Thursday 1 February 2024 | | Welcome to the Equality and Human Rights Commission's monthly newsletter.
In this edition you will find a summary of our work throughout December 2023 and January 2024, including:
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| Assessing equality and human rights in Britain: insights from the 2023 Monitor and key trends |
In November we published the Equality and Human Rights Monitor 2023, a state of the nation report produced for Parliament every five years. This report provides decision makers with a comprehensive analysis of Britain’s equality and human rights landscape.
We have now published factsheets, based on data from the Equality and Human Rights Monitor, which highlight some of the key trends in equality and human rights, within themes such as:
These factsheets highlight a mixed picture in the state of equality and human rights in Britain.
| | | Read our factsheets on the state of equality and human rights in the UK | | | Read the Equality and Human Rights Monitor | |
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Funding available for organisations to give evidence to the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva |
We are providing up to £7,000 for representatives of civil society organisations in Great Britain to provide in-person evidence to the UN Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) at its 140th session in Geneva on 11 March 2024.
This travel grant will enable human rights experts to participate in the Human Rights Committee’s examination of the UK’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
This is a valuable opportunity for the successful applicant(s) to share evidence directly with the UN Human Rights Committee on the UK’s record on civil and political rights, to inform the Committee’s report and recommendations.
The deadline for application submissions is 5pm on 14 February 2024.
For more details and to request an application form, please contact [email protected].
| | | Read about the UN session on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights | | Our consultations responses | |
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Workers’ rights: our response to proposals for hiring agency staff during strikes |
We have responded to the Department for Business and Trade’s consultation on proposals to allow organisations to use agency workers to cover strike action. The right to strike is a fundamental part of our democratic society. It is protected by both domestic and international law as part of the right to freedom of assembly and association.
In our response, we share our concerns that these proposals could interfere with the right to strike.
We urge the government to think carefully about the impacts these proposals will have on the equality and human rights of workers, the economy, and wider society.
| | | Read our response to the Department for Business and Trade’s consultation | |
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Our guidance in response to the Home Office’s Consultation on Abortion Service Zones |
We have provided guidance to the Home Office’s consultation on safe access zones around abortion services.
These zones would prohibit protests within 150 metres of abortion clinics or hospitals providing abortion services.
In our response, we have outlined the equality and human rights considerations involved in implementing and enforcing these zones.
We urge the Home Office to take our recommendations into account to achieve a balanced approach that respects the rights of various groups.
| | | Read our response to the Home Office consultation on safe access zones outside abortion clinics | |
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Our regulatory actions | | Intervention in legal case of boy held in solitary confinement |
We intervened in a legal case in which a 15 year old boy with a serious mental health condition, who was held in solitary confinement, was subjected to 'inhuman or degrading treatment'.
Following a seven-year legal battle, the UK government has agreed that there was a breach of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which states that 'no one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment'.
We intervened in the UK Supreme Court, after which the case proceeded to the European Court of Human Rights before reaching a friendly settlement. Young Offenders Institutions must ensure that human rights are protected to prevent cases like this from happening again.
| | | Read more about the legal intervention into the use of solitary confinement | |
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Ensuring children have support to challenge discriminatory exclusions from school |
Too many children and young people in Britain face discrimination and barriers to opportunity, including prejudice and a lack of proper support in education settings. Part of our work to tackle this is supporting legal cases to challenge discrimination in school exclusions.
We recently supported the case of Child X by funding Just for Kids Law to judicially review the Legal Aid Agency’s decision. Child X, who is black and disabled, successfully appealed against his exclusion from school at Independent Review Panel proceedings. However, they were unable to secure funding for legal representation through the Exceptional Case Funding (ECF) from the Legal Aid Agency.
The outcome of this case, which will go to Judicial Review ahead of Easter 2024, will play a crucial role in establishing the possibility of providing legal aid and representation for children during hearings, enabling them to challenge discriminatory decisions effectively.
| | | Find out about the case on the Garden Court Chambers website | |
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Our parliamentary briefings | |
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Victims and Prisoners Bill – House of Lords second reading |
Ahead of the Second Reading in the House of Lords for the Victims and Prisoners Bill, on 18 December 2023 we issued an updated briefing, reiterating our concern about provisions that would weaken protections for people in the UK.
The Human Rights Act has significantly strengthened human rights protections for people in the UK, and we urge Parliament not to weaken these protections by enabling its disapplication to legislation affecting certain groups of people.
We will continue to advise Parliament as the Bill is scrutinised to ensure full consideration of its equality and human rights implications.
| | | Read our second reading briefing on the Victims and Prisoners Bill | |
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Data Protection and Digital Information Bill - House of Lords second reading |
Ahead of the House of Lords' Second Reading of the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, which took place on 19 December 2023, we highlighted our concerns about the Bill’s potential to weaken individuals' data rights, including through the use of Artificial Intelligence.
Our advice focused on the following areas:
Safeguarding against unfair or discriminatory outcomes from automated decision-making Strengthening personal data rights Data protection impact assessments Oversight of biometric data collection and surveillance cameras DWP access to benefits claimants’ bank accounts Personal data sharing by law enforcement.
We will continue to advise the House of Lords as the Bill is scrutinised to ensure full consideration of its equality and human rights implications.
| | | Read our briefing for the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill’s second reading | |
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Protecting human rights: examining the safety of the Rwanda Bill in the UK legislative process |
This month we submitted written evidence to the Joint Committee on Human Rights in support of their legislative examination of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill.
We also provided Peers with a briefing ahead of the Bill’s second reading in the House of Lords.
The Bill raises concerns as it poses a risk to the UK’s human rights legal framework and may breach international obligations.
By not applying certain sections of the Human Rights Act, the Bill could expose individuals to harm and breach their right to life, their rights to be free from torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, and their right to effective remedy.
| | | Read our briefing for the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill’s second reading in the House of Lords | |
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Additional updates | | Celebrating Human Rights Day |
On 10 December 2023 we celebrated Human Rights Day and the 75th anniversary of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). To mark the occasion, we posted a blog discussing the significance of the UDHR and reviewing our efforts in 2023 to protect human rights in the UK.
| | | Read our blog for Human Rights Day 2023 | |
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Teaming up with European partners to protect human rights in the development of AI |
In December, our Head of Policy attended an event on Artificial Intelligence (AI) held by the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI).
This event gave us the opportunity to share experiences, knowledge and goals with our European counterparts. It is a key part of our role as NHRI in overseeing the use of AI.
| | | Read more about ENNHRI's work on AI | |
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