Theresa May has recently said that institutions must “explain or change” how they treat people of different races.
A new government website ‘Ethnicity facts and figures’ gathers data collected by the government and provides information about the different experiences of people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. It provides data on a range of areas including health, housing, education skills and training and work, pay and benefits.
The data reports that unemployment for black, Asian and those of ethnic minority backgrounds are nearly double that of white Britons. Further, after housing costs, 42% of white British households fell into the two highest income quintiles, compared to 21% of black households, 25% of other ethnic households, 26% of Asian households, 31% of mixed race households and 36% of white other households.
The Prime Minister said that “People who have lived with discrimination don’t need a government audit to make them aware of the scale of the challenge”. She confirmed that the audit has demonstrated that “for society as a whole – for government, for our public services there is nowhere to hide”.
The report highlights the importance of the protective measures implemented by way of statute should an individual feel that they have been discriminated against, namely, the Equality Act 2010.
Race discrimination occurs when an individual is treated less favourably on the grounds of their race, nationality, ethnic origin, heritage or colour.
The law also provides protection against discriminatory conduct as a result of a perception that an individual is of a particular race, nationality, ethnic origin or heritage, even if the perception is incorrect.
The protection afforded by the Equality Act applies to every stage of the employment relationship; from a job advertisements through to dismissal. The protection also extends to discrimination in the course of an individual’s day to day life as a consumer of service user.
If you feel that you have been discriminated against, please contact our specialist discrimination solicitors on 01616 966 229 and we will be happy to assist.
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