A new report from the Runnymede Trust,  compiled with evidence from over 100 civil society organisations,  has found that the Government is in breach of key articles of the UN treaty of the  International Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ICERD).

The report is the independent shadow civil society report to the ICERD and is commissioned by the EHRC.

An independent civil society report is submitted to ICERD every 4 years alongside an equivalent Government (state) report, and is used by the UN as a barometer to assess member countries’ progress on race equality. 

The report shows that racism is systemic in England and that legislation, institutional practices and society’s customs continue to combine to harm BME groups.   

Disparities facing BME groups in England are sustained across the areas of health, the criminal justice system, education, employment, immigration and politics. The general trend from the data across all spheres shows that inequality along racial lines has escalated since the same report was released 4 years ago.

The shadow report raises considerable concerns about upcoming legislation, including the Electoral Integrity Bill, the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill and the New Immigration Plan which could pose a significant threat to ethnic minorities’ rights. 

In the wake of an unprecedented global  pandemic and world-wide protests following the murder of George Floyd in the U.S, the shadow report has culminated in some startling revelations.

Some of the key statistics include:

• Under Section 60, Black people are around 18 times more likely to be searched than their White counterparts.
• BME children make up over half of the child population in prison (28% are Black). This is an increase of 15% over the past decade.
• By the end of secondary school Black Caribbean students are 11 months behind their White British counterparts.

The report offers important recommendations for the Government to demonstrate its commitment to its equality and human rights obligations to BME groups in England.  Some of the key recommendations include the following:

• The UK government must urgently review its approach to equalities and ensure that its laws and policies fully comply with the definition of discrimination under International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Article 1.
• The UK government must urgently develop and implement a strategy to eliminate racial discrimination and advance race equality across all policy areas based on wide, open-ended, comprehensive consultation with civil society organisations and communities.
• The UK government should urgently establish a statutory time limit on immigration detention.
• In light of the very low ‘success’ rate of stop and search under Section 60, weighed against the negative impact on community trust in the police of the extreme disproportionality in its use against Black people, the UK government should repeal Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

Dr Halima Begum, CEO of the Runnymede Trust said: “The UK is one of the few countries in the world where accurate state-led analysis of racial equity is even vaguely feasible. The government points to its efforts these past few years to advance racial equality, such as ensuring the effective rollout of the Covid vaccine to BME groups and addressing the wrongs of the Windrush scandal.  “Progress has been made. But race has become a needlessly fractious issue in the national discourse, and many members of our Black and minority ethnic communities continue to experience stark disproportionate outcomes in their life chances.

Lord Simon Woolley, Director of Operation Black Vote said: “The divisive, and  dishonest Sewell report into race inequality represents the biggest lost opportunity to effectively tackle systemic racism in the UK. This shadow report, in sharp contrast, offers a number of strategic recommendations which together present a sorely needed comprehensive race equality strategy fit for the 21st century”.