A REPORT on Black people, racism and human rights was released by the UK Parliament Committee on Human Rights.

The bleak findings have been met with disappointment, though not surprise online. Here is a summary of the key points. 

Over three quarters of Black people believe their human rights are not protected equally compared to white people. 

The report also notes that government after government has commissioned reports into racism. It questions whether the tactic is use to avoid taking action.

Chair of the Human Rights Committee, Harriet Harman said: “Where actions have been taken, they have often been superficial and not had lasting effect.

“The lack of progress in implementing the findings of those reviews has become a source of intense frustration and concern.” 

The Committee calls on the government to take immediate action, and set out a detailed race equality strategy. 

Healthcare

60% of Black people in the UK do not believe their health is equally protected by the NHS. 

Black women are five times more likely to die in childbirth than white women. 

They point out that the NHS has not set targets to address this injustice.

It is interesting to note that Black women have less faith in the NHS than Black men. 

78% believe their health is not equally protected by the service in comparison to white people. For Black men, the figure is 47%. 

COVID

COVID is also mentioned. The report suggests that any review into government handling of the crisis must consider how Black people have been disproportionately  impacted. 

85% of Black people do not believe they receive equal police treatment to white people. The report suggests that police should regularly poll on this issue and set targets to build trust. 

Voting

Black voters are also 8% less likely to be registered than white voters.

The committee recommends automatic voter registration is considered to tackle this.

Previous reports

The Committee points out that the findings of previous reports have not been implemented, including the Macpherson Report in 1999 and the Windrush Lessons Learned Review in 2020. 

It recommends that findings are implemented as a matter of urgency. 

Of particular note is the 2017 Angiolini Review 2017 into police custody deaths. The review suggested institutional racism was urgently acted on.

The Commission also says that those affected by the Windrush Scandal must be compensated without any more delay. 

Deep-rooted issues

The report highlights that there are fundamental flaws with how Black people’s human rights are protected. 

They recommend that Black people are represented at the top level of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).

They say the commission also needs better resources; and the ability to investigate when it suspects an organisation has breached the 1998 Human Rights Act. 

It mentions that the Commission for Racial Equality was replaced in 2007, and the EHRC has not been as effective. Specifically, when it comes to championing the Black community. 

The report has been criticised for not dealing with the root causes of racism and prejudice, such as white supremacy and misogynoir.