The Commission for Equality and Human Rights: Designing the Big Tent
| Author | Tufyal Choudhury |
| Date | 01 September 2006 |
| Published date | 01 September 2006 |
| DOI | 10.1177/1023263X0601300304 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
13 MJ 3 (2006) 311
THE COMMISSION FOR EQUALITY
AND HUMAN RIGHTS:
DESIGNING THE BIG TENT
T C *
ABSTRACT
In Great Britain a new Commission for Equalit y and Human Rights (herea er the CEHR
or the Commission) will be in operation from 2007. e CEHR will replace the e xisting
commissions for sex, race and di sability discrimination and have responsibilit y for age,
religion and belief, sexual orie ntation and human rights. is paper explores the role
the existing commission s played in shaping the structure, res ponsibilities and powers of
the CEHR. e paper argues that the creation of the new commission reveal ed tensions
between the role such bodies play as regul atory agencies and their importance in providing
a voice for groups and individuals that ex perience discrimination. e author argues that,
while initial proposals emphasi sed the role of the CEHR as a regulatory agenc y, in the
course of the consultative and legisl ative process, new and imaginative mechanism s were
introduced to ensure the expe riences of those that face discrimination infor ms the CEHR’s
work. However, the author also argues th at an opportunity was missed to strengthen both
the regulatory and representative role of the CEH R through greater structural independ ence
for the CEHR from government and in the introdu ction of a single equality act that would
ensure that all strands went into the ne w Commission on an equal legislative footing.
Keywords: Equal ity Commission, Discrimination, Huma n rights
§1. I NTRODUC TION
British equalit y legislation has developed in response to p olitical demands for
protection of g roups experienc ing discr imination. e early equalit y legislation in
Great Britain, on race and se x discrimination, wa s accompanied by the creation of
* Lecturer i n law, Durham University.
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