The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is a non-departmental public body established under the Equality Act 2006. It began its operations on 1 October 2007. It brings together the work of the three previous equality commissions – the Disability Rights Commission (DRC), Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) and Commission for Racial Equality (CRE). The EHRC also takes on responsibility for promoting other aspects of equality (age, religion or belief and sexual orientation), as well as human rights.
The EHRC has a very broad remit. It aims to ‘prevent discrimination by addressing the causes that lie behind it, encouraging systemic [and cultural] change instead of relying solely on individual legal remedies after the event’. Its key areas of work are:
- enforcing the law
- influencing the development of law and policy
- promoting good practice
- running campaigns, events and providing communications
- promoting good relations
- developing understanding and evidence
- running national helplines
- allocating grants
- protecting and promoting human rights.
As the EHRC has only been in operation for 18 months, there are no evaluations yet of its work – and as such, it is too early to draw any lessons.
