Race on the Agenda have started the petition "The British Government: Keep the Public Sector Equality Duty" and need your help to get it off the ground.
If you are affected disproportionately by stop and search policies, school exclusions, poor access to public services or other forms of institutional discrimination, the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) is the only provision within the law to fight such institutional discrimination effectively.
The PSED is a legacy of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry where it was found that the police was institutionally racist. The Race Equality Duty was brought in to force to address institutional racism. This Duty was later extended to Disability under the Disability Discrimination Act and Sex under the Sex Equality Act.
In 2010 under the Equality Act 2010 the Duty was extended to age, sexual orientation, transgender, and marriage and civil partnership, which is known as the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) and it came in to force in October 2011.
Within one year of the duty coming in to force the Government has decided to review the PSED.
Statement from Mike Wild, Chief Executive, Macc: “I strongly encourage local voluntary and groups to back this petition: we must not allow the equalities agenda to be eroded in this way. Government must ensure that there is an obligation on public services to consider and act on equalities issues. People who have been discriminated against must have a means of challenging public authorities. Removing the PSED requirement would be a major step backwards for social justice.”
To sign the petition, visit: www.rota.org.uk/content/psed-petition