Protecting Equality and Your Human Rights After Brexit

One year on from the end of the Brexit transition period, the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) and the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) are continuing to work together to ensure that the UK Government keeps its commitment to protect equality and human rights in Northern Ireland.

Under the Ireland/NI Protocol to the Withdrawal Agreement reached with the EU, the UK Government committed to ensuring that there would be no diminution of the rights, safeguards, and equality of opportunity provisions, set out in the chapter of the same name in the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in Northern Ireland, as a result of Brexit.

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Equality Commission for NI are asking the public to get in touch with any queries or concerns that they have about their equality and human rights after Brexit.

NIHRC Chief Commissioner, Alyson Kilpatrick, and ECNI Chief Commissioner, Geraldine McGahey, said:

“One year on from the Brexit transition it is important that we continue to raise public awareness of the commitment to equality and human rights which the UK Government has made.

“We want to ensure that Brexit does not impact on the rights of anyone here in Northern Ireland and are working to ensure that this does not happen.

“To do this, we are engaging at community and stakeholder level as well as monitoring new legislation and commissioning research. We are engaging individuals on a range of issues they have contacted us about, including pet passports, delayed EU Settled Status applications, and access to kosher and halal food.”

“We are keen to hear from members of the public about issues which they may be having about their rights as a result of Brexit. This will help to inform our work and let us know where the gaps may be for further protections or information.”

We can be contacted at:

Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission: www.nihrc.org/brexit (02890 243987)

Equality Commission for Northern Ireland: www.equalityni.org/brexit (028 90 500 600)

ENDS

Notes to Editors

1. Brexit: Roles of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) and the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI). Both Commissions are tasked with ensuring that the UK Government meets its commitment and are responsible for monitoring, supervising, enforcing and reporting on the ongoing implementation of the commitment. They can also provide advice and assistance to individuals, including, where appropriate, support to bring legal proceedings, where they believe that this commitment has been breached.

• The UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement includes the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol. The Protocol reflects the commitment made by the UK Government to uphold the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. In particular, the UK Government committed that the withdrawal will not lead to any diminution of rights, safeguards and equality of opportunity in Northern Ireland, as set out in the relevant chapter of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, including in the area of protection against discrimination (Article 2(1)).

• In the context of the Article 2 commitment, The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC), Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) will work together to provide oversight of, and reporting on, rights and equalities issues falling within the scope of the commitment that have an island of Ireland dimension.

• Schedule 3 of the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 confers new functions on both the NI Commissions (ECNI and NIHRC), to enable each to act as part of the ‘dedicated mechanism’ (DM), to monitor, advise, report on and enforce the UK’s adherence to its commitment that there will be no diminution of rights, safeguards or equality of opportunity in Northern Ireland as a result of the UK’s exit from the EU. This came into force at the end of the Brexit transition period, 31 December 2020.