Equally Ours’s Ellora Kowalczyk on our recent parliamentary event.
Our everyday rights are the foundation to a good life. This means having the right to enough food, to a place we can call home, a decent job, the opportunity to learn, and a safety net during difficult times.
These rights exist on paper, but when we look at the reality of the situation, people’s backgrounds significantly alter how they experience these rights. In practice, access to everyday rights is flimsy and unreliable for many people. With national challenges – such as the cost of living crisis, long NHS waiting lists and the lack of affordable housing – exacerbating systemic inequalities, everyday rights of Minoritised communities are increasingly threatened.
That’s why Equally Ours, in collaboration with Just Fair, held a parliamentary briefing on guaranteeing equality in everyday rights.
This event sought to bring an equality perspective to Parliament’s search for solutions to the challenges people in the UK are facing and to enable Parliamentarians to hear from people who have direct lived experience of these issues. Through this, we explored how greater attention to our everyday rights can be an effective tool in our mutual efforts to build a fairer, more inclusive, society.
These rights need more teeth
The essential rights of everyday life are called economic, social and cultural rights. These rights state that we all have the right to an adequate standard of living and to a decent and dignified life. The UK government made a commitment to uphold these rights but are falling short of meeting their obligations. Currently, there is no guarantee in UK law for these rights to be upheld. This restricts the ability of individuals and organisations to hold the government accountable. ‘In other words, these rights currently have no teeth.’ (Jess McQuail)
Security of everyday rights is increasingly important as the cost of living crisis, the aftermath of COVID, and other challenges disproportionately impact communities who already face many barriers. Just Fair, the only UK-wide civil society organisation to focus on economic, social and cultural rights, is calling for the UK government to catch up with the rest of the world and incorporate these everyday rights into law. Thus, Just Fair are interested in supporting and working with parliamentarians to achieve solidified rights for everyone.
Examples of challenges to everyday rights
1. The right to adequate housing and race equality
Sado Jirde from Black South West Network (BSWN) discussed the role of systemic racism in the right to housing for Black and Racially Minoritised communities.
BSWN published a research report into the lived experiences of Black and Minoritised communities living in Bristol. The research found that 61% of participants had some type of housing issue. 63% of Somali households suffered from overcrowding. 25% of participants had problems with landlords, such as being evicted, being threatened with eviction or failing to request repairs for fear of eviction.
Everyone has the right to a safe and comfortable home. However, Black and Minoritised individuals are systemically disadvantaged in accessing this everyday right. BSWN’s research highlights compounding intersectional factors that contribute to this systemic disadvantage, such as immigration status, language barriers, the complexity of the housing register bidding process and the bureaucracy around social housing in general, combined with institutional racism.
BSWN recognised that by bridging the gap between communities and the mainstream system, Black and Minoritised individuals’ rights to adequate housing are increased in practice. This is illustrated in the Housing Rights Programme run by BSWN in partnership with Shelter. The programme empowered communities through sharing knowledge surrounding housing rights, thus shifting everyday rights from a statement on paper to a tool that can be utilised. Community engagement and collaboration are therefore foundational to creating housing solutions that are sustainable, equitable and effective. By actively involving communities in the process, a more comprehensive and inclusive approach to addressing housing inequalities can be achieved.
There is an inherent interconnectivity between systemic racism and access to everyday rights. BSWN advocates for policy change that promotes equality in access to education, employment and housing. This policymaking and change must include community collaboration, and therefore, be inclusive of diverse perspectives and lived experience – in addition to implementing and enforcing anti-discrimination policies within the housing sector that address biases and ensure fair treatment.
By positioning everyday rights as interconnected and foundational to a good life, the impact of racism can be seen to permeate several areas of people’s everyday rights which further impact their access to these rights. Combatting these inequalities and securing rights require comprehensive efforts through anti-discriminatory policy changes, increased representation in decision-making, and initiatives promoting inclusivity within the housing sector.
2. Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities’ right to health
Emma Nuttall from Friends, Families and Travellers (FFT) discussed the inequalities Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities face when accessing their right to health care.
A significant issue is that there is no ethnicity monitoring of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities within the NHS – if no one is measuring discrimination against these communities, how can we even begin to tackle it? The Government knows this is an issue – the All Party Parliamentary Group questioned the Minister and she told them that there were no plans to address this gaping hole in the system.
Despite this deficiency of data from the NHS, there are a wealth of studies and reports which highlight the inequalities Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities face in their right to health. The figures are shocking: Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities have a lower life expectancy of between 10 – 25 years shorter than the general UK population, they are more likely to have long-term health problems with 38% of females aged 60 – 64 reporting bad or very bad health. FFT mystery shopped 100 GPs in England between March and April 2021, and found 74% of these surgeries broke NHS guidance and refused registration because of an inability to provide proof of identity, proof of fixed address, to register on-line or another similar reason.
Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities’ health is suffering due to the weak implementation of their right to health. It must be noted that systemic racism plays a key role in this, which is why FFT are fighting for cultural awareness training for GPs and receptionists, and for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller ethnicities to be incorporated into the NHS data dictionary to increase accountability for discrimination and inequality. In addition, FFT are working to educate communities on the existing rights that they have and how they can use them, increasing their rights awareness and therefore empowering them to use their rights. How can we fight for something if we don’t know that it is our right to do so? Rights cannot just exist on paper, they must also exist in practice, and governmental organisations such as the NHS must be open to changes in practice to increase communities’ access to everyday rights.
3. The cost of living crisis and the right to an adequate standard of living
The impact of the cost of living crisis on everyday rights was clearly illustrated by Morgan Wild from Citizens Advice. He described it as ‘bleak’, with Citizens Advice helping with over 1000 food bank referrals each day throughout December 2023, and all-time records being broken for the number of people asking for advice on homelessness. Around half of the people that seek help from Citizens Advice for managing the cost of living remain in crisis, despite all the possible budgeting advice and help being given. The crisis is so severe, individual actions don’t make a difference. This demonstrates how the cost of living crisis, and its related erosion of everyday rights, is a systemic issue, not an individual one.
The cost of living crisis, in conjunction with the rise of energy prices, has left countless UK households financially vulnerable and at risk. This was highlighted when gas and electricity providers weaponized pre-payment meters. Providers were found to be forcing people onto pre-payment meters that they can’t afford to top up, including people considered ‘vulnerable’, despite Ofgem rules preventing them from doing so. Whilst there are rights in principle that protect against this type of exploitation, in practice, the rights are only as strong as the regulator’s ability and will to enforce them.
This deficiency in the practice of everyday rights is also reflected in the process of pursuing an Equality Act case. Morgan used the example of direct racism within the private rental sector: If a landlord explicitly says, ‘I’m going to evict you because you are talking too much in your native language’, what do you do? People of colour are disproportionately being evicted in the private rented sector despite rights on paper that protect them against discrimination. Taking an Equality Act case to court takes significant time, energy and money, that many people do not have. Added to this, there is often a significant imbalance of power between landlords and tenants on the basis of race and socio-economic status, meaning that tenants who experience discrimination will often choose not to go to court. Morgan called for easier methods of enforcement of everyday rights, such as a sub-judicial system for sectors such as employment and private rental. He also highlighted a need to break down barriers in the judicial system, such as language access, which further prevents those who face disadvantages from pursuing justice. It is vital that we reposition everyday rights as a practical application, and a tool for protection against discrimination.
Conclusion
The knowledge shared at this parliamentary briefing highlights the urgency to secure equality in everyday rights. Despite existing on paper, essential rights to food, shelter, work, education, and health remain unattainable for many, especially Minoritised communities facing systemic barriers. The absence of robust legal frameworks renders individuals and groups powerless to enforce economic, social and cultural rights, exacerbating challenges like the cost of living crisis and healthcare and housing disparities.
Testimonies showcased during the briefing spotlighted the multifaceted nature of these issues, underscoring the intersectionality of healthcare access for Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities and housing discrepancies for Black and Racially Minoritised individuals. Systemic racism further entrenches these injustices, amplifying the struggles of marginalised groups.
Nevertheless, within these challenges lies the prospect of transformative change. Initiatives like Black South West Network’s Housing Rights Programme exemplify collaborative efforts capable of empowering individuals and translating abstract rights into actionable tools for social justice. The evidence from Friends Families and Travellers identify many actions that could be taken today that would have a major impact – the Department of Health could begin to collect data on Gypsy, Roma and Traveller health, require cultural awareness training for public facing roles in the NHS and enforce it’s own requirements on registration with a GP surgery. Citizens Advice have a wealth of data the Government could use to target support on the cost of living to people most in need, the Government could be working with regulators such as Ofgem to make sure that existing rights are secured in practice and the burden of enforcing the Equality Act could be moved off the shoulders of the people experiencing discrimination by proactive enforcement and removing the barriers currently embedded into the justice system.
Moving forward, policymakers must respond by embedding everyday rights into law and fortifying enforcement mechanisms. Prioritising inclusivity, representation and anti-discriminatory policies is essential for creating a society where all can access their rights and dignities. Achieving equality in everyday rights demands collective dedication, togetherness and a steadfast belief in the intrinsic value of every individual.
Note from Just Fair: Take action to help us achieve a fairer society
- If you are a parliamentarian who is interested in learning more about our work, or how you can help us achieve a fairer society then get in touch with our Advocacy and Communications Officer, Alex Firth on alex.firth@justfair.org.uk.
Get in touch with us to discuss:
- A tailored, individual briefing for you and your staff.
- How you can raise the issue through debates, questions and statements.
- If you are involved in committee work, submitting evidence or provide a briefing session.
- Check out our website for the latest research, submissions and blogs on everyday rights in the UK. If you are interested in the practical side of this issue, then join us for our ‘Everyday Rights conversation’ which will look at how to achieve effective incorporation of economic, social and cultural rights in the UK: https://justfair.org.uk/
- Sign up to our newsletter so you can stay up to date on our work and all the latest news about everyday rights in the UK: https://justfair.org.uk/sign-up-for-our-newsletter/
Further information and contact
Just Fair is a non-government organisation, leading and inspiring work on economic, social and cultural rights across the UK.
Contact: Alex Firth, Advocacy and Communications Officer on alex.firth@justfair.org.uk.
Website: www.justfair.org.uk
Charity number: 1141484; Company number: 07394478
