The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) have published their business plan 2018/19 (PDF), in March 2018.
This plan outlines the priorities for their work in the coming year.
‘Our evidence suggests that it is not in the UK’s interest for reciprocal healthcare arrangements to cease.’ This is according to Lords European Union Select
Employers have increased their employment of EEA migrant labour with accession of New Member States in 2004 being a marked change.
This is according to a March 2018 report from the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) on EEA workers in the UK labour market.
The Social Mobility Commission has a vital role to play in “[putting] the Government’s feet to the fire” – but changes need to be made.
The profiles of homeless people are changing, with children becoming the largest group of people in emergency shelters as a result of a deterioration in the living conditions of extremely vulnerable families.
This from the March 2018 annual report (PDF) from the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA)
This report reveals how millions of Europeans face housing exclusion on a daily basis as well as a dramatic picture of increasing homelessness across most of the EU – in particular amongst children, women and migrants.
The report finds:
In France, 20,845 people called the 115 homeless helpline requesting accommodation (in June 2017)
Dublin City Council spent € 39 million on hotel nights for homeless people in 2016, while € 10.7 million was spent on prevention and supported housing
In Britain, 29% of spending was on temporary accommodation and (44% of which was spent on hotels/Bed and Breakfast) and 61% on housing services (between 2015-2016)
Over the last number of years, only two European countries (Finland and Norway) have seen a reduction in the number of homeless people
Read the full report (PDF).
As part of the School Census, schools are now required by the Department for Education to collect the nationality and country of birth of children aged 5 – 19.
This is from the March 2018 guidance from the Migrant Rights Network which aims to help migrants understand their rights and how to assert them in 8 key areas of everyday life.
This guide is to help all migrants living in the UK understand their rights in a situation where immigration rules are changing regularly.
The guidance finds:
Since 30 October 2017, banks and building societies have had to do immigration checks on all customers every 3 months. If they discover that you might be in the UK without permission they must tell the Home Office
Since 2014, the Driving and Vehicle Licence Agency (DVLA) is not allowed to give you a driving licence if you are not ‘lawfully resident’ in the UK. The DVLA does not have to let you know if they cancel your licence. This means you may not find out you are driving illegally until you are stopped by the police
Some schools have been asking to see children’s passports. This is against government guidance. Other schools have only asked for the nationality and country of birth of non-white children. This is discriminatory and therefore illegal.
Read the full guidance (pdf).
‘Banks have to check applicants’ immigration status before allowing them to open a bank account’.
This is according to the February 2018 briefing (pdf) from Global Justice Now on the hostile environment for immigrants.
The briefing finds:
The government is preventing people from accessing safe and secure housing by forcing landlords to carry out the work of immigration officers.
NHS staff are also being forced to demand upfront payment for treatment from people who cannot prove their immigration status
People in the UK without at least six months leave to remain cannot apply for a driving licence
Read the full report (pdf).
ROTA’s Equality Law Project aims to support frontline organisations to understand and use the Equality Act 2010.
The project has produced an online employment and anti-discrimination legal support tool to support VCS organisations and their service users identify appropriate legal advice, support and representation in their local area.
This free searchable database will not only help BAME and migrant organisations deal with casework, but will enable them to better support BAME and migrant workers.
Access the search tool.
A new, updated edition of the Equal Treatment Bench Book by the Judicial College was published in February 2018.
Human rights belong to everyone. We all have rights regardless of sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age, income, gender, country of birth or belief.
This is from the February 2018 report from the Scottish Human Rights Commission on building a human rights culture in Scotland.
The research tested and identified the impact of different types of messages on people’s attitudes towards human rights
The report finds:
Demographic groups of women and 16-24 year olds were most likely to become more supportive and engaged with human rights when exposed to key human rights messages
When talking about human rights, organisations involved in human rights secured the greatest levels of trust amongst all those surveyed, with 58% of participants saying they would trust them a great deal or fair amount.
This compares to 17% for a famous singer, actor, sportsperson or musician who is well known for caring about human rights
Different spokespeople affected the impact of messages. For example across all those surveyed, a disability rights campaigner has more impact than the Chair of the National Human Rights Institution when discussing disability rights.
Read the full report (pdf).
