Home Affairs seeks views on draft Discrimination Law

The Council of Ministers has approved the draft Discrimination ( Jersey ) Law that will, ultimately, outlaw discrimination on the grounds of race, sex, disability and age. The draft law is now out for consultation before the Law is lodged for consideration by the States later this year.

The draft over-arching law aims to prohibit discriminatory conduct. It sets out areas where discrimination will not be tolerated, for example, in employment, education, the provision of goods, facilities and services, and in the management of clubs and premises, subject to certain exceptions. It also sets out the specific mechanisms for enforcing the standards.

The exact types of discrimination covered by the law will be subsequently introduced in stages by Regulations. These will cover separately race, sex, disability and age. It is intended that the first set of Regulations will relate to race discrimination and these should be put before the States early in 2009 when it is expected the Law will come into force.

Launching the consultation, Senator Wendy Kinnard, the Minister for Home Affairs, stated: "The legislation supports the strategic aim of the States to promote a safe, just and equitable society and to reinforce basic rights and equal opportunities for all sectors of the community. This is particularly relevant given a significant section of Jersey ’s population has diverse national, ethnic and racial backgrounds. Once the Law and the Race Regulations are enacted, they will support Jersey ’s commitment to international standards, in particular the United Nations Convention on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination."

Closing date for responses is Friday 14 March 2008.

Discrimination Law Consultation Adobe PDF  160KB (opens in a new window)

Draft Discrimination (Jersey) Law 200-  Adobe PDF  216KB (opens in a new window)

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