The purpose of the anti-racism framework is to describe what Devon County Council (DCC) is doing now and in the medium and long term to address racism in the workplace and community, and to become an anti-racist organisation. Its intended outcome is to ensure everyone in Devon is safe, well and thriving.
Racism is something that affects us all either directly or indirectly. It has no place in a world that seeks to be prosperous, inclusive and healthy. It needs to be eradicated at individual, organisational and systemic or structural levels.
The social, environmental and economic benefits of diversity in all its forms are well known. We cannot reach our full potential as individuals, organisations or a place if people in our workforce or community are being pushed back because of the colour of their skin, nationality or heritage.
Find out more:
- Race Equality Audit
- Race Equality Action Plan and Progress
- Information and resources to support our work
Why this is important to us
A Public Sector Duty to eliminate racial discrimination, advance racial equality and foster good community relations has been in place since 2000. This was introduced through the Race Relations (Amendment) Act which sets out to address the findings of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry. This duty was absorbed by the Equality Act 2010 and now applies to nine protected characteristics, including race.
However, in 2020 the Covid19 pandemic and the UK Black Lives Matter movement both highlighted that the pace of change has been too slow. There is still disparity in the services received by people depending on their ethnicity.
Differences in outcomes can be a result of bias. For example, medical research and interventions or safety features have often been designed around the average White man (or American White man, in many cases). This data bias can lead to inequalities – notably gender and race/ethnicity.
There are other reasons why people experience inequalities. These can include poor access to services (not available at the right time or difficult to reach) or negative service experiences due to lack of cultural competency, racial microaggressions or unlawful discrimination.
Examples of evidence of racial disparities:
Black women are four times more likely than White women to die in pregnancy or childbirth in the UK. Black people are eight times more likely to be subjected to community treatment orders than White people. Estimates of disability-free life expectancy are ten years lower for Bangladeshi men living in England compared to their White British counterparts.
Black people are disproportionately victims of violent crime and homicide; in the UK for every White victim of homicide aged 16 to 24 in 2018/19, there were 24 Black victims.
