Trans and human rights organisations call for EHRC to be downgraded as an internationally-accredited human rights body

A wide-ranging coalition of trans and human rights organisations are calling on the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to be downgraded as an internationally-accredited human rights body.

This formal challenge to the EHRC’s fitness for purpose has been brought by TransActual UK, Amnesty International UK and Trans+ Solidarity Alliance. Together they have reported the EHRC to the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), calling for an immediate investigation and for the EHRC to lose its ‘A-status’ accreditation.

Complementary submissions have also been made by the Trans Advocacy and Complaints Collective (TACC) and by Scottish Trans.

Following the Supreme Court judgement in April, the EHRC has again shown “anti-trans bias” in its ‘interim update’ and guidance set out in its draft Code of Practice. Multiple domestic and international human rights bodies, including 18 UN Independent Experts, the Commissioner for Human Rights for the Council of Europe and the Scottish Human Rights Commission, have raised the alarm about the EHRC’s position. The Minister responsible for approving the updated Code has also publicly expressed her disappointment at how the EHRC is doing its job.

The UK's so-called human rights watchdog is failing in its duties to uphold the rights of all people across our country.

Chiara Capraro, Gender Justice Programme Director at Amnesty International UK, said: “This is clearly a state of emergency for trans people, but the EHRC’s dereliction of its duty could extend to other marginalised groups. At a time when forces hostile to human rights are on the rise in the UK and globally, we cannot afford to have a national human rights institution that is not fit for purpose."

Tammy Hymas, Policy Lead for TransActual, said: “The UK's so-called human rights watchdog is failing in its duties to uphold the rights of all people across our country. After years of politicised appointments and an obsessive campaign to strip trans people of our basic rights, the EHRC is now trying to bounce an elected Government into implementing a bathroom ban for trans people.”

Vic Valentine, Scottish Trans Manager, added: “We should be able to rely on our national human rights institution to protect and promote the rights of everyone. Right now, we face the real possibility of trans people being excluded and segregated from services and workplaces on a daily basis. Instead of the EHRC trying to prevent that, they’re actively pushing to make it happen.”

A representative from TACC also said: “The EHRC has abandoned its duty to protect trans, non-binary, and intersex people’s human rights. It no longer meets the Paris Principles, required of a credible national human rights institution.” 

The ‘Paris Principles’ set out the minimum standards that national human rights institutions must meet in order to be considered credible and to operate effectively. Previous concerns were raised in 2022 and 2023 about the EHRC’s compliance, leading GANHRI to carry out a special review. The EHRC managed to retain its ‘A’ status at that time. However, that review also gave clear recommendations as to how the EHRC must work to ensure compliance.

A release circulated by TransActual reads: "The submissions made this week provide detailed evidence of how the EHRC has not only failed to comply with these recommendations but has continued to violate assurances it previously gave to GANHRI in order to retain its ‘A’ status.

"The EHRC has engaged in additional and / or worsening breaches of the ‘Paris Principles’ since the special review, including failures in the areas of the protection and promotion of human rights; international engagement and alignment; independence from government; pluralism; and cooperation with other human rights organisations and civil society groups."