11 March 1999 Edition
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.
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.