NCJ Number
174834
Editor(s)
M MacEwen
Date Published
1997
Length
271 pages
Annotation
Drawing on the experience of agencies and experts in the United Kingdom, this book compares views on the enforcement of antidiscrimination laws by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, South Africa, and the United Nations (UN).
Abstract
The purpose of the book is to highlight commonalities and differences in antidiscrimination laws and practices. While the book focuses on comparative views of the role of enforcement agencies, contributors note that domestic legislation may be influenced not only by the experience of others but also by international conventions. They also point out that antidiscrimination legislation is a product of the period of reconstruction after World War II and that the range of enforcement agencies is widespread. The following goals of antidiscrimination law are identified: (1) form part of a government strategy to promote equal opportunities for historically disadvantaged groups in such areas as education, employment, and housing; (2) provide remedies and redress where such opportunities are denied; (3) enforce provisions against incitement, harassment, and victimization; and (4) promote codes of good practice in public and private sector. Activities enforcement agencies are likely to be involved in are also noted, including the investigation of individual complaints, strategic investigations, promotional work, and the provision of advice to government on law and practice. Book chapters specifically cover the role of the British Equal Opportunities Commission in preventing sex discrimination, current issues in Dutch antidiscrimination laws, disability discrimination and enforcement in Great Britain, Australia's Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, antidiscrimination law in Canada, the Equal Treatment Commission in the Netherlands, the British Commission for Racial Equality, legal institutions and fairness in South Africa, the Fair Employment Commission in Northern Ireland, and the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. 110 references, 6 tables, and 2 figures