A new community programme working for positive social change with Black and Minoritised people in South West England.

In January 2025, Just Fair submitted a report to the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as part of their review of the UK. The report, compiled with evidence from over 30 civil society organisations in England including Black South West Network (BSWN), found that in relation to every right – from housing to education – the system is failing, with Black and Minoritised people at the sharpest end of this failure, experiencing deeply entrenched discrimination and inequality.

This is unacceptable.

Just Fair has partnered with BSWN to tackle discrimination and disadvantage faced by Black and Minoritised communities in South West England through a new programme – ‘Racial Justice through Human Rights’.

Building on community knowledge

Although in its infancy, the programme builds on a huge amount of work already completed already by BSWN and Just Fair. This has included work undertaken as part of BSWN’s developed Access to Justice programme (A2J), which aims to address racial disparities in housing, health, education, employment, and other social areas in South West England. BSWN contributed evidence from this programme to Just Fair’s UN CESCR report.

Our work together

This new community programme will bring together:

• BSWN’s existing community-based approach, knowledge base and expertise in supporting Black and Minoritised communities, businesses, and other organisations to flourish; and
• Just Fair’s experience of working with communities and organisations to take a human rights-based approach, along with its expertise in economic, social and cultural rights.

The programme aims to strengthen the capacity of Black and Minoritised communities in South West England to name and claim their rights and better hold authorities to account, challenge systemic barriers and support real-world social change for those at the sharp end of rights violations. This is vital to tackle the discrimination and disadvantage highlighted in the evidence submitted to UN CESCR.

The programme will also develop everyday rights training for BSWN’s staff, volunteers and trustees to assist them in using these rights to achieve the social justice they are striving for.

The programme has only just begun, but I am extremely excited to start using everyday rights to combat discrimination and disadvantage.

Ben Onyibo Ameke Robinson is the new Human Rights Officer at Just Fair.

Background image by Ashwin Chacko