Equality act 2010 who is it aimed for

For example, an employee makes a complaint of sexual harassment at work and is dismissed as a consequence. The Equality Act also requires public bodies like local councils, hospitals, and publicly-funded service providers to consider how their decisions and policies affect people with different protected characteristics.

The public body also should have evidence to show how it has done this. For example , a local authority wants to improve its local bus service.

It carries out a survey of people who use public transport and finds that very few women use buses at night because they are worried about sexual harassment. The local authority decides to work with the police and the transport provider, as well as local residents, to find ways to address this problem and make the bus service more inclusive.

You can visit the Citizens Advice website for general information. If you are concerned about your treatment at work, you can visit ACAS for more information. If you are in a union, your union representative should also be able to help you with discrimination advice. If you think you might have been treated unfairly and want further advice, you can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service.

You can email using the contact form on the EASS website. Also available through the website are BSL interpretation, web chat services and a contact us form.

Alternatively, you can visit our advice and guidance page. What is harassment and victimisation? Age discrimination Disability discrimination Gender reassignment discrimination Marriage and civil partnership discrimination Race discrimination Religion or belief discrimination Sex discrimination Sexual orientation discrimination.

Your rights under the Equality Act Removed links to set of forms and guidance which are no longer in use. To help us improve GOV. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in.

Cookies on GOV. UK We use some essential cookies to make this website work. Accept additional cookies Reject additional cookies View cookies. Hide this message. Home Society and culture Digital inclusion and accessibility. Guidance Equality Act guidance. Print this page. Overview The Equality Act legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society. Discrimination: making a complaint Before the Act came into force there were several pieces of legislation to cover discrimination, including: Sex Discrimination Act Race Relations Act Disability Discrimination Act If you wish to complain about possible unlawful treatment there are 2 separate processes, depending on when it happened.

Questionnaires and guidance booklets for complaints under previous legislation Complaints: after October If you were subject to unlawful treatment on or after 1 October , the Equality Act applies. Equality Act provisions: commencement dates To allow people and organisations enough time to prepare for the new laws, the provisions of the Act were brought in at different times known as commencement dates.

Equality Act Provisions that the government has decided not to take forward: public sector duty regarding socio-economic inequalities combined discrimination - dual characteristics Age discrimination The Equality Act includes provisions that ban age discrimination against adults in the provision of services and public functions. Age discrimination: exceptions The government response to the consultation includes the draft Exceptions Order.

It also requires that public bodies have due regard to the need to: eliminate discrimination advance equality of opportunity foster good relations between different people when carrying out their activities Who the Equality Duty applies to The Equality Duty applies across Great Britain to the public bodies listed in Schedule 19 as amended , and to any other organisation when it is carrying out a public function.

Guidance for public bodies The Government Equalities Office has published 2 quick-start guides to help public bodies understand the Equality Duty and the specific duties: Quick start guide: public sector Equality Duty Quick start guide: Specific duties The Equality and Human Rights Commission is the statutory body established to help eliminate discrimination and reduce inequality. The Commission has published new non-statutory guidance on: The essential guide to the public sector Equality Duty Meeting the Equality Duty in policy and decision-making Engagement and the Equality Duty Equality objectives and the Equality Duty Equality information and the Equality Duty Technical guidance on the public sector Equality Duty - England Devolution Section of the act enables the Welsh and Scottish ministers to impose specific duties on certain Welsh and Scottish public bodies through secondary legislation.

The Equality Act Statutory Duties Wales Regulations For Scottish public bodies, the Scottish government launched a consultation on revised draft Regulations for specific duties on 9 September Equalities Act legislation Equality Act on the legislation. Explore the topic Digital inclusion and accessibility Equality Statutory rights. Is this page useful? England This advice applies to England: England home Advice can vary depending on where you live.

Equality Act - discrimination and your rights This advice applies to England Print. When are you protected from discrimination? The Equality Act protects you from discrimination by: employers businesses and organisations which provide goods or services like banks, shops and utility companies health and care providers like hospitals and care homes someone you rent or buy a property from like housing associations and estate agents schools, colleges and other education providers transport services like buses, trains and taxis public bodies like government departments and local authorities.

What are the protected characteristics? The characteristics that are protected by the Equality Act are: age disability gender reassignment marriage or civil partnership in employment only pregnancy and maternity race religion or belief sex sexual orientation Discrimination by association The Act also protects you if people in your life, like family members or friends, have a protected characteristic and you're treated unfairly because of that.

If you complain about discrimination The Equality Act protects you if you're treated badly because you've complained about discrimination or stood up for discrimination rights, either for yourself or for someone else.

Further help and information You can find out more about your rights under the Equality Act on our discrimination pages. Did this advice help? Yes No. Why wasn't this advice helpful? It isn't relevant to my situation. It doesn't have enough detail. I can't work out what I should do next. I don't understand.