Legal Action: 101
Understand why we're teaching organisations to take action against racial injustice.
In Spring 2021, EQUAL will be running a series of free Legal Action workshops in partnership with Liberty HQ, aimed at small organisations supporting BAME, Muslim and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people affected by racial inequities in the Criminal Justice System.
Interested?
Our short guide helps you understand what they’ll cover, and why we think strategic training is vital for small civil liberties, race-equality and human rights organisations looking to achieve systemic and long-lasting change when it comes to racial justice.
In human rights, litigation is “strategic” when it is consciously designed to advance the clarification, respect, protection and fulfilment of rights. The idea is to change laws, policies and practice, and to secure remedies or relief following violations. Strategic litigation is also often about raising public awareness of an injustice.
There is a growing concern amongst civil society and race equality organisations that systemic racial inequality is not being effectively addressed despite various groups and panels existing to provide advice and scrutinise government organisations and their attempts to reduce racial disproportionality throughout the criminal justice system (CJS).
There is also widespread dissatisfaction in the rate of progress, despite the existence of the Equality Act (2010).
A new report by the Runnymede Trust, for example, outlines how successive Labour, Conservative and Coalition Governments have failed to commence Section 1 of the Public Sector Equality Duty regarding Socio-economic inequalities. If evoked, this would, in effect, require “local authorities, the police, schools, armed forces and the NHS to exercise their functions in a manner intended to reduce the inequalities of outcome that result from socio-economic disadvantages based on factors such as class, education, occupation and place of residence.” 1
But it hasn’t been.
Again and again, across representation in children’s books and education, to the mortality of BAME frontline workers to the percentage of black young people in custody and the scapegoating of Asian Muslim people as terrorists, the welfare of BAME, working-class and other minoritised groups is repeatedly brushed under the carpet, when, in theory, laws do exist to protect them.
Like many organisations and individuals striving to address disproportionality and the inequalities dividing our society, EQUAL is keen to draw attention to the things that can, and should, be challenged.
Why now?
As we reach 5 years of David Lammy’s Review and his recommendations, we are seeing that, whilst some recommendations have been implemented by the Government, there has been hesitancy and delays in many other areas.
Since the Lammy Review for example, disproportionality in the Youth Justice System has gotten worse, with over 50% of children in custody from a BAME background.2
We believe a coordinated and informed approach in the sector is vitally necessary to challenge decisions taken by Government organisations. By arming smaller BAME, Muslim and GRT-led organisations with legal tools, we want to support them influence change through collaborative legal action. In this way, we hope their policy priorities across the sector will be advanced powerfully and securely to improve the Criminal Justice System for all.
So, what next?
Our #TakeAction workshops kick off in March. With expert facilitators from Liberty and EQUAL, attendees will learn about:
The key drivers of racial disparities in the CJS.
Issues of trust and mistrust for BAME, Muslim and GRT communities across the CJS.
How to identify the various legal tools available to challenge racial disparities and explore examples where they’ve been successfully used to further race equality.
The relationship between confidence and strategic leadership, and the links between leadership and meeting organisational priorities.
How to effect change/influence policy to enact longlasting change.
Register your organisation here
After a tumultuous year, where the impact of racial inequality has screamed through in education, healthcare, housing and the criminal justice system, it’s important, now, more than ever for small organisations to be gain expert-led training to help develop strategies which help negotiate and overcome any challenges faced in carrying out race equality work.
We look forward to seeing you there… ⚖️💪