EQUALITY COMMISSION FOR NORTHERN IRELAND RACIAL EQUALITY DIRECTORATE

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EQUALITY COMMISSION FOR NORTHERN IRELANDRACIAL
EQUALITY DIRECTORATE

• THE VIEW FROM NORTHERN IRELAND
• SHEILA ROGERS

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The ContextThe political, social and economic
environment

• 5,500 square miles - 1.6 million people
• Employment largely in public sector and private
  services sector
• Catholics, Protestants and women
• In and out migration
• The Troubles
• The Belfast Agreement

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The Equality Agenda

• The political imperative
• Rights and safeguards
• equal opportunity in all social and economic
  activity
• freedom from sectarian harassment
• the right of women to full and equal political
  participation
• Northern Ireland Act 1998
• single Equality Commission

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Black and Minority Ethnic Communities

• Whos who?
• Irish Travellers
• Perceptions and attitudes to employment
• Chinese community
• Indian, Pakistani and Black African communities
• Irish Travellers
• Sectarian or racist?

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The Legislative Framework

• Identity and denial
• Campaign for legislation
• Aims of the legislation
• eliminate unlawful racial discrimination
• promote equality and good relations
• legislative review
• Scope of the legislation
• employment
• goods, facilities, services and housing
• Irish Travellers

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The Legislative Framework

• Limitations of the legislation
• monitoring for ethnicity
• contract compliance
• class actions
• scope for formal investigations
• applicability to public bodies

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Institutional Racism

• The collective failure of an organisation to
  provide an appropriate and professional service
  to people because of their colour, culture or
  ethnic origin. It can be seen or detected in
  processes, attitudes and behaviour which amount
  to discrimination through unwitting prejudice,
  ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist
  stereotyping which disadvantage minority ethnic
  people

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Delivering Equality

• Complainant aid
• Services for whom?
• User perceptions
• User preferences
• Individual complaints
• Experience of discrimination
• Settlement strategy

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Delivering Equality

• Statutory duties on public authorities
• Equality Schemes
• Equality Schemes
• Impact Assessment
• Consultation
• Action Plans

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.so where are we going?