News

The UK Does Not Need a New Bill of Rights but Should Join Protocol 12 ECHR

London 11 November 2011

The Equal Rights Trust (ERT) has responded today to the Commission on a Bill of Rights Discussion Paper entitled Do we need a UK Bill of Rights? The Commission was established to investigate the creation of a UK Bill of Rights and this Discussion Paper marked the beginning of the process of public consultation on this issue. 

ERT Urges Commonwealth Heads of Government to Repeal Legislation that Criminalises Same-Sex Sexual Conduct

London, 14 October 2011 

In advance of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting later this month, The Equal Rights Trust (ERT) has called on the Commonwealth Heads of Government to take immediate steps to repeal legislation that criminalises same-sex sexual conduct. ERT urges the Heads of Government to establish a Ministerial Action Group to address the issue of laws criminalising same-sex sexual conduct and advise states on the legal implications of retaining such laws, and to include a commitment to tackling laws criminalising same-sex sexual conduct in the final communiqué of the 2011 meeting.

ERT Recommendations in Relation to Republic of Sierra Leone Echoed by State Delegations

At its eighteenth session (12 - 30 September 2011) the UN Human Rights Council adopted Working Group Reports for states which had undergone review in the eleventh session of the Universal Period Review (UPR). The Equal Rights Trust (ERT) provided information for the UPR of Sierra Leone. 

Federal Court of Australia Finds that Offensive Publications Breached Racial Discrimination Act

London, 12 October 2011  

On 28 September 2011, the Federal Court of Australia issued its judgment in Eatock v Bolt [2011] FCA 1103, a case brought under the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 against the author and publisher of allegedly offensive newspaper articles.  

End to the Effective Ban on Openly Gay Men and Women Serving in the US Armed Forces
London, 5 October 2011
The repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy on gay men and lesbians serving in the United States military came into effect on 20 September 2011, allowing members of the armed forces in the USA to openly acknowledge their sexuality for the first time. The Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010 was enacted in December 2010, repealing a law which has resulted in the dismissal of more than 12,500 service members in 17 years.
 
ERT Impact through the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
London, 12 September 2011
 
At its 79th Session (8 August - 2 September 2011), the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (the Committee) considered the state report of the Republic of Kenya. The Equal Rights Trust (ERT) submitted information to the Committee in the form of a parallel report which urged the Committee to recommend a number of specific legislative and policy actions to increase protection for racial and ethnic equality. ERT welcomes the decision of the Committee to adopt a number of these recommendations in its Concluding Observations.   

New Issue of the Equal Rights Review Published by ERT

London, 23 August 2011

Today, The Equal Rights Trust published Volume Seven of The Equal Rights Review (ERR), an interdisciplinary biannual journal intended as a forum for the exchange of legal, philosophical, sociological and other ideas and practical insights for those who are promoting equality. This issue contains a special section on immigration detention and discrimination, as well as an interview on the same issue with Wilder Tayler, Secretary-General of the International Commission of Jurists and an expert on the UN Sub-Committee on the Prevention of Torture, and Professor Mads Andenas, Professor of Law at the University of Oslo and a member of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

Committee Incorporates ERT Recommendation on Need for Comprehensive Equality Legislation

London, 7 August 2011 At its 52nd session (9 to 27 July 2012), the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women considered the state report of Jamaica. The Equal Rights Trust (ERT) submitted a parallel report focused on the country’s obligations to respect, protect and fulfil the right to non-discrimination under Article 2 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. ERT welcomes the decision of the Committee to incorporate all but one of its principal recommendations in its Concluding Observations. 

Italy Fails to Protect LGBT Persons from Hate Crime
London, 4 August 2011
 
 
On 26 July 2011 the lower house of the Italian Parliament voted against legislation to protect victims of homophobic and transphobic hate crime. The legislation was rejected by 293 votes to 250. The Equal Rights Trust (ERT) is concerned about this failure to implement important aspects of the right to equality. 
 
The rejection of the Bill came despite reports of increasing attacks on LGBT persons in Italy.
ERT Urges UK Government to Resist Calls for Repeal or Emasculation of Equality Act 2010

London, 7 July 2011

The Equal Rights Trust (ERT) has written to David Cameron MP, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, calling on him not to repeal or emasculate the Equality Act 2010, stating that such a move would both damage the UK’s international reputation and limit the UK’s ability to meet its international law obligations to respect, protect and fulfil the rights to equality and non-discrimination.

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