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Equality and Human Rights Commission
The Equality and
Human Rights Commission (EHRC) was brought into being by the
Equality Act 2006. The EHRC’s duties are grouped into five
categories: equality and diversity, human rights, groups,
monitoring the law, and monitoring progress. It also has
powers to provide information and advice, issue codes of
practice, conduct inquiries, make grants and cooperate with
other agencies in pursuit of human rights, make
investigations into whether unlawful discrimination has
occurred, enter into agreements, and make applications to
the courts for an injunction restraining persons from
committing unlawful acts.
The EHRC’s
equality and diversity duties are to:
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Promote
understanding of the importance of equality and
diversity,
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Encourage
good practice in relation to equality and diversity,
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Promote
equality of opportunity,
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Promote
awareness and understanding of rights under enactments,
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Enforce the
equality enactments,
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Work towards
the elimination of unlawful discrimination, and
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Work towards
the elimination of unlawful harassment.
Section 17 the
Equality Act 2006 allows the EHRC to make grants to other
agencies to help it promote equality and diversity, human
rights and good relations within and between groups. Race
equality organisations hope to obtain grant aid from the
EHRC as it did from its precursor organisation, the CRE.
The EHRC’s
initial strategic priorities are:
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To build a
credible and independent commission.
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To map,
analyse and target key equality battlegrounds.
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To improve
life chances and reduce inequalities.
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To promote
new understanding of equality and a human rights
culture.
Race equality
organisations hope to play a key role in supporting the EHRC
in its equality and human rights work, but require it to
clarify its views on specialist single-equality-strand
working at local level. Rights and Equality West Midlands
hopes to make a contribution at regional level to delivering
the EHRC’s strategic priorities, including providing help
with training on equality matters, through leadership, and
public debates on equality issues along the lines of the
joint seminar series run with the Centre for the Study of
Ethnicity and Culture, University of Birmingham.
The EHRC’s
address is:
Equality and
Human Rights Commission
3 More London,
Riverside, Tooley
Street,
London
SE1 2RG
Info@equalityhumanrights.com.
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