The Public Sector Equality Duty
The three main aims of the Public Sector Equality Duty are as follows:
You must give ‘due regard’ (give active consideration) to the need to -
- Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct that is prohibited by the Act.
- Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not.
- This involves, in particular, having due regard to the need to:
- Remove or minimise disadvantages suffered by people due to their protected characteristics.
- Take steps to meet the needs of people with certain protected characteristics where these are different from the needs of other people, for example, taking steps to take account of disabled people’s disabilities.
- Encourage people with certain protected characteristics to participate in public life or in other activities where their participation is disproportionately low.
- This involves, in particular, having due regard to the need to:
- Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. This means tackling prejudice and promoting understanding between people from different groups and communities.