Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by this author are their own and do not represent the official position of the Barbados Today.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is a non-department public body in England and Wales responsible for the promotion and enforcement of equality and non-discrimination laws.
The Commission has, in a recent report, thrown a loaded missile into the cosy ranks of the UK Home Office.
After in-depth evidence and research, the EHRC has concluded that the Home Office acted unlawfully in its dealings with many Caribbean people who emigrated after 1948 to the UK and settled with their children. They and their children subsequently were denied untrammelled rights of citizenship by the Home Office.
The report was commissioned by the government, and it is a serious indictment on the Home Office. It serves to confirm that which has been suspected and many would say has been known to be factual for many years.
It did not need a report by EHRC to inform the public of the injustices that were heaped upon West Indians who live in this country.
These charges against the Home Office have constantly been made and more so since mid-2018 when the unlawful and scandalous practices were openly brought to the notice of the British people.
Currently, it is not a sexy subject with mass media in the UK. However, the report exposes actions by the Home Office that easily can be rated as racist and prejudicial in the interpretation and implementation of guidelines.
Sexy or not, the subject and its impact on the lives of Black people in the UK should not be allowed to fade from the consciousness of the nation.
The Home Office agreed to give monetary compensation to the victims of their erroneous acts and consequently has been flooded with claims by those of the Caribbean diaspora. However, settlement has been laggard, and has led to stress, hardship, unrest, and anxiety by those affected.
Whatever the reasons for the delays, one is bound to question whether or not a waiting game is being played in the hope that a vast number of claims owing to the unreasonable delay in settlement will not be followed through and therefore be expunged from the records.
There have been so many darkened dealings on matters pertaining to the Windrush episode that any reason for delay posited should not easily be dismissed.
At the end of August 2020, only 12 per cent of reported claims had been settled and of the many still open nine claimants have died.
However, it may be of some comfort to the survivors of the deceased that any monetary settlement will fall to be part of that deceased person’s estate.
The Home Office admitted that they are way behind in settling the claims. This has not been a well-kept secret, and they have merely stated the blindingly obvious.
However, the plea to speed up settlements has been repeatedly made and one wonders how many more will die before this horrid matter is brought to a satisfactory and just conclusion. The feet of the Home Office and by extension the government must unfailingly be kept to the fire until every claim is fairly settled.
Looking beyond the immediacy of the claim fiasco, the EHRC concluded that the equalities law was broken when the Home Office introduced the notion of a hostile environment in regard to immigration measures when dealing with Black
Afro-Caribbean people.
It went on to report that in its study it detected a lack of commitment within the Home Office to the importance of equality.
Little wonder, therefore, that there is a marked lack of positive and hastened activity where claims are being considered.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said all efforts would be made to ensure that the process of settling claims would be speeded up, but the jury is still out on this promise.
The Home Office has issued a statement and in part, it reads: “We are determined to right the wrongs of the Windrush generation and the Windrush compensation scheme has paid out or offered more than 2.8 million pounds with more offers being made every single week. We will continue to work with families to ensure compensation is still paid out where claimants have sadly passed away.”
Given that there is a widely held estimate which suggests that an amount in excess of 100 million pounds will ultimately be payable, this could be a long and winding road.
Vincent “Boo” Nurse is a Barbadian living in London who is a retired land Revenue Manager, Pensions and Investment Adviser. He is passionate about the development of his island home and disapora.
