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We cannot rely on the government to enforce anti-discrimination laws

Jackie Ashley is wrong about the Equality ( http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/equality ) and Human Rights ( http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/human-rights" ) Commission Trevor Phillips should go. But the whole body is misconceived, July 2007 ( http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jul/26/equality-campaigning-rights-politics ) , . She writes: "Ministers thought that if you brought lesbians, wheelchair users and Afro-Caribbean people into the same organisation, they would all share the same view of equality and human rights and campaign for one another."

Surely the point is that quite a lot of wheelchair users are African-Caribbean and some are even lesbians. There are real common threads that unite people who face discrimination, including the denial of employment, goods and services because of other people's power and prejudice.

Ashley then states: "If a Labour government is not monitoring, measuring and legislating to improve people's rights, what is it there for? ... the creation of the EHRC is a category mistake." This is also wrong. A government may legislate, but it will never monitor and measure to improve people's rights. Would they know how? Most government departments and agencies have not trained all their staff to understand and implement equality law, despite this being a specific duty under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. Similarly, government departments don't set out how they deliver on their disability equality commitments. This is a duty of the Disability Discrimination Act 2005.

A single commission is needed to advance equality and human rights for all and to deal with discrimination on grounds of age, sexual orientation and religious and non-religious belief, as well as race, disability and gender. There are good advocacy organisations representing older people, lesbians and gay men or people of all faiths and none. They will continue to exist, but they are no substitute for the EHRC. The commission must remain in place and make greater use of its statutory powers that hold public bodies and all businesses to account.

Two years before the commission opened its doors, Lord Ouseley identified that the former race, disability and gender commissions spent a tiny fraction of their budgets on enforcement work, especially on representing individuals. This was because the government favoured a light touch. Moi Ali expresses frustration with her poor advice and service from the EHRC, which "failed to deliver a sensitive, caring, efficient and accurate response and a swift decision." (Are you listening, Trevor Phillips? http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/jul/29/moi-ali-trevor-phillips-equality-commission,, Society, 29 July ). But her experience was predictable. Government consultations on the creation of a single commission emphasised an intended focus on strategic interventions and arm's-length advice. It remains very hard to bring a case of discrimination against an employer or provider of goods, facilities or services. The equality bill does not propose to make it any easier. It costs over ยฃ100 to lodge a discrimination claim in a county court. How many working-class people can afford that?

The case for a strong and effective Equality and Human Rights Commission is clear. It must uphold and advance human rights, and address all forms of discrimination, including class discrimination. We need the commission to use its powers effectively and defend all of us.

Additional Information

Country: United Kingdom of Great Britain
Website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jul/31/trevor-phillips-race
Email: N/A
Phone: N/A
Contact Person: N/A
Source: Linda Bellos, chair of the Institute of Equality and Diversity
When: 04/8/2009

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