Is Britain Fairer? 2018

In its comprehensive report on the state of equality and human rights in Britain, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has found that progress made in some areas is overshadowed by alarming backward steps.

Prospects for disabled people, some ethnic minorities, and children from poorer backgrounds have worsened in many areas of life. This inequality risks becoming entrenched for generations to come where these groups are left behind in the journey towards a fair and equal country. The report also reveals a downturn in access to justice and the conditions experienced by people in detention since the last review in 2015.

Is Britain Fairer? is the biggest evaluation of progress on equality and human rights in Great Britain, covering 6 areas of life: education, health, living standards, justice and personal security, work, and participation in politics, public and community life. 

Key statistics include: 

• 3 in 10 children live in households in poverty, rising to over half of children in Bangladeshi, Black African, Pakistani and Other ethnicity households.
• Between 1 in 10 ethnic minority households in England experienced housing overcrowding, compared with 1 in 50 White Households.
• Only 54% of Black Caribbean adults in England and Wales reported that the criminal justice system is fair, compared with an average of 68%.
• In June 2017, two-thirds of adult prisons were overcrowded in England and Wales.
• In 2016/17, the police in England and Wales recorded 5,558 disability hate crimes 2017. This is a 175% increase compared with 2013/14.
• Over a third of disabled people experience material deprivation, nearly three times that of non-disabled people.
• Disabled people (11.9%) are more likely than non-disabled people (9.8%) to be in insecure employment in 2016/17.

Is Britain Fairer?, an Executive Summary and companion reports: Is Scotland Fairer? and Is Wales Fairer? are available to read at: 

https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/britain-fairer