The Commission, or CEHR, will provide information and practical
guidance to employers, the voluntary and public sectors, and to
individuals. It will monitor performance and enforce equality law
in the areas of age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief,
sexual orientation and transgender status, and encourage compliance
with the Human Rights Act 1998.
The CEHR was established by the Equality Act 2006 as a single
equality body with responsibility for challenging discrimination
across society. It replaces the Commission for Racial Equality, the
Disability Rights Commission and the Equal Opportunities
Commission.
The CEHR's human rights mandate requires it to promote a human
rights culture, particularly ensuring that higher standards of
dignity and respect are applied to those in institutional care, for
example children, the elderly and those in psychiatric care.
The establishment of the CEHR follows criticism that the three
previous equality Commissions were failing to use their enforcement
powers to control racial, disability and sexual discrimination.
A report from the Public Interest Research Unit, published in
September last year, claimed that neglect by the Commissions helped
ensure that the majority of discriminators got away with committing
unlawful acts.
Trevor Phillips, chair of CEHR said: "The previous Commissions
have made enormous advances, changing Britain into a fairer place.
But much remains to be done.
"The new Commission is building on their legacy to achieve
change to benefit some of the most disadvantaged and voiceless
people in our society."
The CEHR survey pinpointed ethnicity, disability, religion and
age as the top causes of unfairness; a third or more identified
these as the basis for discrimination. When prompted half of those
questioned also said that sexual orientation was often a reason for
unfair treatment.
Two out of five (41%) of those who said they faced
discrimination of some kind said it occurred at work, while three
quarters of all those interviewed (74%) think that work was the
most common setting where people experienced discrimination.
The survey was based on responses from 1,087 adults.
Nearly three quarters (73%) of those who experienced
discrimination said they did not make a complaint. 38% of those who
experienced discrimination said they did not complain because they
thought there was nothing to be gained.
Phillips said: "This is the clearest reason for the existence of
the CEHR. Unless people feel they can deal openly with unfairness
we risk a simmering cauldron of resentment to poison our
workplaces.
"Our work isn't supporting vexatious litigation by a few
persistent grumblers; it is about building a fairer, more confident
and more united Britain."
Dr Nicola Brewer, chief executive of CEHR, said the new body was
"a milestone along the road to a fairer, more equal Britain."
She added: "How we live together is one of the big challenges of
the 21st Century; as serious as climate change and more immediate.
The new Commission is working to eliminate discrimination, reduce
inequality, protect human rights and to build good relations,
ensuring that everyone has a right to participate in society."
Meanwhile, today marked the first anniversary of age
discrimination legislation in the UK which effectively makes it
illegal for companies to treat employees and job candidates
differently because of their age.
A new study by the Employers Forum on Age suggests 86% of
workers know that it is illegal to discriminate on the grounds of
age at work, up from just 51% this time last year.
But in a statement, the Forum said that "ageism is still endemic
in the workplace," with 59% of workers claiming to have witnessed
ageist behaviour at work in the 12 months since the new laws came
into force. Its survey was conducted among 1,000 workers.
