Equality - behind the words
by Ned Kelly
One of the conclusions of Christopher McCrudden in his analysis of
`The Equality of Opportunity Duty in the Northern Ireland Act' that
formed part of the `Equality and Human Rights: Their Role in Peace
Building' report launched in Belfast last Thursday, 4 March, was that
the success in ``mainstreaming equality . . . will depend on the
willingness of all those involved''.
The report comes from a conference held last December that aimed to
bring together an Equality Alliance, with a broad range of
backgrounds with representatives from Catholic and Protestant
disadvantaged areas, women's groups, disability action groups, ethnic
minority groups and workers organisations.
McCrudden, co-author of the report, said, the meaning and
implications of the concepts of the NI Act meant that all public
bodies and authorities were required to bring equality issues into
their policy.
He added that the framesworks, from the Good Friday Agreement to the
NI Act, in both Section 75 of the Act and Schedule 9 ``had the power
to transform many relationships''.
Behind these words and the multitude of mechanisms to create real
equality is the reality that the first step is for the recognition
that inequality exsists. Without this first step there will be no
equality.
With a loosely defined time table, one of the key questions will be,
``who has ultimate responsibility for enforcing public bodies to
develop and practice policies that will tackle inequality?'.
There is also the hope that where Policy and Fair Treatment (PAFT)
was non-enforcable and Targeting Social Need (TSN) was often ignored,
both policies that attempted to address the endemic disadvantage
brought about by UNIONIST discrimination had failed, the new Equality
Alliance could help develop mechanisms to make Equality and Human
Rights the cornerstones of a new thinking.
Where will the ``due regard'' and ``equality of opportunity'' talked of
in the legislation really take us, can republicans be happy that the
Cross Community Relations Unit (CCRU) and David Trimble's central
office will have so much control in funding, influencing and
monitoring practice.
The answer is no and with the newly formed Equality and Human Rights
Commissions yet to be seen in action there is already a quiet murmur
abroad that these will not be up to the task they face. and are not
the best way forward towards enshrining equality and human rights,
within organisations and public bodies.
Ultimately some of the answers can be found at the debating table
where people can take ownership of the process., but again with
Unionism is attempting to block the participation of republicans in
democratic bodies, in particular the Assembly, where Sinn Fein are
being kept from the Executive. there is clear evidence that the will
to agree equality is a long way off.
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