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G4S to take over running of government discrimination helpline

shawn mach
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From buzzfeed:

G4S ... has been awarded the contract to take over a key government equality helpline for those who have faced discrimination on the grounds of their sex, race, or disability, BuzzFeed News has learned.

In a move that has already been criticised by a union leader, the government has decided to award the running of the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) to G4S in the face of a recommendation by a House of Lords committee to take helpline back in-house.

The service was set up under the coalition government and is currently the responsibility of the Government Equalities Office (GEO), based in the Department for Education and overseen by the new minister for women and equalities, Justine Greening.

The helpline used to be run by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), an independent statutory body. In 2011 a government review found that its helpline was not fit for purpose, and in 2012 the new helpline was set up, run by outsourcer Sitel, along with a number of charities.

More @ https://www.buzzfeed.com/alanwhite/exclusive-g4s-to-take-over-vital-government-discrimination-s

Benny Fitzpatrick
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Welfare Rights Officer, Southway Housing Trust, Manchester

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Another service to which G4S can apply their “inverse-Midas-touch”!

1964
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Deputy Manager, Reading Community Welfare Rights Unit

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Oh for Heaven’s Sake…. surprised they didn’t award it to ATOS….

Benny Fitzpatrick
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Welfare Rights Officer, Southway Housing Trust, Manchester

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Maybe not enough Tory MPs have shares in ATOS?

past caring
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Welfare Rights Adviser - Southwark Law Centre, Peckham

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Words like ‘own’, ‘house’ and ‘in-order’ and ‘you’re having a bleeding giraffe’ come to mind…...

A firm which sacks its South African workers for going on strike, which bullies its security guards out of their jobs and whose straight and homophobic employees juggle their breasts at gay employees and call them ‘batty boy’.

What could possibly go wrong?

Paul_Treloar_AgeUK
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Information and advice resources - Age UK

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From 2014 Today is the 10th anniversary of the horrific death of 15-year-old Gareth Myatt at Rainsbrook secure training centre run by G4S. Gareth had refused to clean a sandwich toaster that other children had also used. Another child took on the task, but Gareth was ordered to his room and locked in. Two officers then entered and began removing Gareth’s possessions. When they tried to take a piece of paper holding his mother’s new mobile number, Gareth was said to have raised his fist. An officer “enveloped” this small child – he weighed just 6½ stone and stood less than five feet tall – and pushed him onto the bed. Three officers then forced Gareth into a sitting position, and bent his upper body towards his thighs and knees. They ignored Gareth’s cries that he couldn’t breathe and was going to defecate, which he did before vomiting. The terrifying ordeal lasted for six or seven minutes. This was Gareth’s first time in custody – he had been sentenced on a Friday afternoon and was dead by the following Monday evening.

The prison’s macho culture was exposed at Gareth’s inquest. Restraint trainers had nicknames like Clubber, Crusher, Mauler and Breaker. Children subject to the most physical restraint were dubbed “winners”. It was apparently a common belief among officers that children would lie about being breathless, even though there was a special codeword to immediately halt restraint during staff training exercises in the event of breathing difficulties. In the 12 months before Gareth died, children in Rainsbrook were subjected to exactly the same restraint – called the seated double embrace – on 369 occasions, and life-threatening harm occurred 10% of the time

Gareth Myatt died 10 years ago, but prison restraint on children continues

nevip
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Welfare rights adviser - Sefton Council, Liverpool

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shawn - 28 July 2016 10:33 AM

From buzzfeed:

G4S ... has been awarded the contract to take over a key government equality helpline for those who have faced discrimination on the grounds of their sex, race, or disability, BuzzFeed News has learned.

In a move that has already been criticised by a union leader, the government has decided to award the running of the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) to G4S in the face of a recommendation by a House of Lords committee to take helpline back in-house.

The service was set up under the coalition government and is currently the responsibility of the Government Equalities Office (GEO), based in the Department for Education and overseen by the new minister for women and equalities, Justine Greening.

The helpline used to be run by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), an independent statutory body. In 2011 a government review found that its helpline was not fit for purpose, and in 2012 the new helpline was set up, run by outsourcer Sitel, along with a number of charities.

More @ https://www.buzzfeed.com/alanwhite/exclusive-g4s-to-take-over-vital-government-discrimination-s

Meanwhile, in the real world.  Oh!

shawn mach
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The Law Centres Network is initiating a legal challenge to the government’s decision to award the contract for operating the national discrimination advice helpline to G4S ...

http://www.lawcentres.org.uk/policy/news/news/lcn-challenges-government-on-discrimination-helpline

Elliot Kent
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In my inbox from Liberty this morning:

Remember G4S? They’re the infamous security firm who have been responsible for a catalogue of failings and human rights abuses.

They’re also the organisation who have been handed the contract to run a Government-funded helpline for victims of discrimination.

Liberty, Tell MAMA and 39 other organisations are demanding a parliamentary inquiry into why G4S won the contract. Join us by signing the petition to tell the Government that G4S cannot be trusted to run such a vital service.

Known officially as the Equality Advisory Support Service (EASS), the helpline provides expert advice and assistance to those who have faced discrimination on the grounds of their gender, race or disability. Until 2012 it was run by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), and earlier this year a parliamentary report recommended the service be returned to the EHRC – a position supported by the EHRC themselves.

The award of the contract should be placed on hold until an investigation into both the tendering process and G4S’s suitability have been carried out.

Liberty has compiled a dossier of the company’s reported failings on human rights and equality in the UK. It makes for horrifying reading.

In amongst the more well-known G4S stories – such as the London 2012 Olympics or the £108.9 million repayment to the Government – are a raft of abuses against vulnerable people. A 15-year-old girl who claimed she was left in her room at G4S’s Medway Security Training Centre after having a miscarriage. Jimmy Mubenga, who was unlawfully killed by G4S security guards with racist texts on their phones. Mohamoud Ahmed Ali, who died in his cell at a G4S-run prison after guards repeatedly failed to take him to medical appointments.

As Bella Sankey, Liberty’s Director of Policy said “G4S has been responsible for countless human rights violations, and the mistreatment and even unlawful killing of people in their care. It’s hard to think of a company more ill-equipped to provide this vital service.”

Please sign the petition: say you don’t trust G4S with this service, which is a lifeline for many. Please donate: help Law Centres Network who are challenging the contract award through the courts.

Thank you for your support.

Larry

Larry Holmes
Head of Campaigns

The petition is here: https://actions.sumofus.org/a/don-t-hand-the-government-s-discrimination-helpline-over-to-g4s
Dossier is here: http://bit.ly/2cheUjA
Donations for the legal action here: https://actions.sumofus.org/a/donate-to-stop-g4s-in-the-uk