News from the Equality and Human Rights Commission |
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Last week we launched new resources to help end hair discrimination in schools.
Court cases and the experiences of our stakeholders indicate that hair-based discrimination disproportionately affects girls and boys with Afro-textured hair or hairstyles.
Race is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, which means a person must not be discriminated against because of their hair or hairstyle, if it is associated with their race or ethnicity. This includes natural Afro hairstyles, braids, cornrows, plaits and head coverings.
Our resources will help school leaders take important actions to make sure their schools are inclusive places: places where children can thrive without having to worry about changing their appearance to suit a potentially discriminatory policy or having to face unwanted comments or actions related to their hair.
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Black History Month: how we act against race discrimination Every year Black History Month presents an important opportunity to celebrate the too-often overlooked achievements of people of African and Caribbean descent in British life.
Whether it’s fighting prejudice in the workplace, sport or schools, we believe in ‘Action Not Words’.
Last November we launched a landmark fund to ensure that money is not a barrier to justice for victims of racial discrimination, victimisation or harassment. We are also taking action to tackle discrimination in the use of artificial intelligence, racism in sport, and to prevent hair discrimination in schools.
Marking the start of Black History Month, our Chief Executive Officer, Marcial Boo, wrote a blog about the work we are doing to make Britain a fairer, better country, where everyone is treated equally, whatever their background. |
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#MeToo: a workplace revolution five years on,
but have the tables turned?
In 2017 the MeToo movement sent shockwaves across the world, exposing the destructive and pervasive problem of sexual harassment at work.
As Britain's equality regulator it's our job to explain and clarify the law and we recognise that employers need to be equipped with advice and tools to be able to tackle workplace harassment effectively.
Five years on, our Chief Strategy and Policy Officer Melanie Field looks at what progress has been made and how the EHRC will continue to push for change and support the development of better pratice, so that no one else has to suffer this abuse in the future.
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Our re-accreditation as
a National Human Rights Institution (NHRI)
Following a routine re-accreditation process with the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) we have been re-accredited as an ‘A status’ National Human Rights Institution (NHRI). This means we remain fully compliant with the ‘Paris Principles’, which provide the benchmark for high-performing, independent National Human Rights Institutions. We also remain able to report directly to the United Nations on human rights issues. |
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100 per cent gender pay gap reporting
In April, we wrote to 613 organisations that had not reported their gender pay gap data. All of them have now either reported or are now known to be out of scope of the regulations. |
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Learning lessons from the pandemic: next steps
Following our inquiry into race inequality in health and social care, Dr Habib Naqvi MBE, Director of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, has written about how our experiences of the pandemic can be used to improve equality in the health and social care sectors.
"We must turn data into insight and that insight into practical action for sustainable change." In his guest blog, Dr Habib Naqvi discusses how data and evidence can lead to fairer outcomes for healthcare workers.
The NHS Race and Health Observatory are beginning to drive policy change through clear evidence for patients, communities and the healthcare workforce. We are proud to support this work to ensure that worker's rights are upheld. |
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Our Parliamentary responses and submissions |
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The Public Order Bill - Parliamentary briefing
The right to protest is one of the essential foundations of a democratic society, guaranteed by Human Rights laws.
We are concerned that the Public Order Bill introduces a number of provisions affecting protest, public order and stop and search, that could have significant implications for equality and human rights.
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Mental Health Act Reform Bill - our written submission
We recently submitted evidence to the pre-legislative scrutiny stage of the draft Mental Health Act Reform Bill.
The draft Bill is an important step towards protecting people’s rights and improving the treatment and support they receive. We have set out a series of ways the Government can improve the bill and get fairer treatment for all, including by: - Protecting people's rights
- Addressing disproportionality
- Increasing transparency and accountability
Ensuring that reforms of the Mental Health Act 1983 better protect human rights, and secure equality in the use of compulsory powers, is a priority and we will continue to monitor progress in this area.
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Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Bill - our briefing
Sexual harassment in the workplace is unacceptable and we are committed to tackling it through the use of our regulatory powers. We recently published a briefing for MPs, fully supporting the Worker Protection Bill.
This Bill will introduce a duty on employers to take all reasonable steps to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace. The Bill has now passed through the second reading stage in the House of Commons and we will continue to support it and highlight its importance. |
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Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Bill - our briefing
Around one in 20 mothers are made redundant at some point during pregnancy or maternity leave, or on return from maternity leave.
In October, we published a briefing welcoming the better protections offered in the Protection from Redundancy Bill.
The Bill has now received unopposed support from across the House of Commons and we will continue to highlight the important benefits it will bring. |
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Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill - briefing
Flexible working can have enormous benefits for both employers and employees;
It can increase productivity, growth and job satisfaction, improving trust and working relationships. It can widen the pool of talent available for employers, and help them attract and retain a more diverse workforce.
We are pleased to see the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill reach its Second Reading.
Amongst other measures, this Bill will require employers to offer and advertise all jobs, including the most senior, on a flexible and part-time basis, unless there is a genuine business reason that means this isn't possible.
We have provided a briefing to put the Bill into context of the potential benefits to equality and human rights, and explain why we believe that it is a positive step towards improved fairness in the workplace. |
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Physical intervention in schools draft guidance - our response
We have responded to the Scottish Government's physical intervention in schools draft guidance consultation.
The publication of the draft guidance follows our joint work with the Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland (CYPCS), on the use of restraint and seclusion in Scottish schools.
There is much to be welcomed in the draft guidance, particularly the emphasis on the rights of the child. However, we have called for the Scottish Government to consider placing the guidance on a statutory footing from the outset. |
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Gender recognition reform and the Equality Act 2010
We recently wrote to the Scottish and UK governments, setting out our advice on the possible implications of proposed gender recognition reform in Scotland for the operation of the Equality Act.
As the regulator of the Equality Act 2010, we are responsible for upholding and enforcing Britain's equality law. Our duty is to provide independent advice to governments on how new laws, and proposed changes to the law, might affect equality legislation. |
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Equality and Human Rights Commission
Third floor, Windsor House, 50 Victoria Street, London, SW1H 0TL
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