Government, Equality and Civil Society in NI

Government, equality and civil society

A society works best when it is both fairly governed and actively supported by its people. In Northern Ireland, elected representatives make decisions and pass laws on behalf of everyone, and government has a duty to promote fairness, equality and human rights. But government cannot do it alone. Charities, community groups and campaigning organisations, together known as civil society, also work to support people and push for change, and ordinary citizens, including young people, have a part to play too. This module looks at how Northern Ireland is governed, how government promotes social equality through law and policy, the bodies set up to protect fairness, and the many ways people themselves help build a just society.

Words for government and equality

Learn these terms before the bodies are matched up. They name the ideas used in this topic.

Match each body to what it does

Government against civil society

Society is shaped from two directions at once, and both are needed for fairness to work.

Which body handles unfair treatment?

A person feels they were treated unfairly at work because of a disability. Which body is set up to deal with unfair treatment in Northern Ireland?

• The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland
• The local council
• A supermarket
• A newspaper

What Section 75 requires

Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 places a legal duty on public bodies, such as councils and government departments, when they carry out their work. They must have due regard to promoting equality of opportunity across groups such as age, disability, religious belief and gender. They must also promote good relations between different groups, and protect people from discrimination. In practice this means a public body has to think about the effect of its decisions on everyone before it acts, rather than treating fairness as an afterthought. It turns a good intention into a clear legal requirement that can be checked.

Pick who shares social responsibility

Select everyone who shares responsibility for supporting democracy and fairness in society.

• The government and MLAs
• Media companies
• Young people
• The weather forecast
• No one at all

Order how an idea becomes a law

Put the steps of how a new law can come about into a sensible order.

• People raise a concern in the community
• An MLA takes it up on their behalf
• The Assembly debates the proposed law
• Members vote on it
• It is passed and becomes law

Complete the government and equality facts

In a _____, people choose their representatives by voting. Government shapes society mainly by passing _____, the laws everyone must follow. Alongside government, the community and _____ sector runs services and campaigns for change. Groups within it, such as charities and _____, support people in need.

Tap the two ways government promotes equality

A government wants to promote equality. Tap the TWO actions that genuinely do this.

• passing equality legislation
• running education and awareness campaigns
• ignoring complaints of unfair treatment
• hiding information from the public

A referee and the supporters

Picture a local football match. It needs a referee who knows the rules and applies them fairly, so that every player is treated the same and no one is cheated; that is the job government does for society through its laws. But a match is more than a referee. It needs the helpers who line the pitch, the club that raises funds, the parents who wash the kit and the supporters who turn up in the rain. They are not in charge, yet without them the game would not happen at all. A healthy society works the same way: fair rules from above, and countless people giving their time from below.

The government and equality run

Answer each one correctly to keep your lives. Choose the best answer.

Act on an equality issue

Read each situation and choose the best answer.

• You notice a local service is hard for wheelchair users to reach. What is a good first step?
• A friend faces unfair treatment because of their background. Which body could help?
• You want to support a cause you care about. What can a young person do?

Build a citizenship point

Choose the word for each gap to complete one point about government and fairness.

Explain government, equality and civil society

A younger student asks how Northern Ireland is governed and how fairness is protected. Using what you have learned, explain the main points.

• Explain how a democracy chooses its representatives
• Explain how government promotes equality, including through legislation
• Explain what Section 75 requires of public bodies
• Explain the role of a body such as the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland
• Explain how civil society and young people can make a difference