Race-Based Hair Discrimination - New Code of Practice
Campaign group Halo Collective have developed a new Code of Practice, aimed at ending race-based discrimination in schools and workplaces.
The Halo Code (the "Code") is designed to tackle the statistics provided on its website that:
- 58% of black students experience name calling or uncomfortable questions about their hair at school
- 1 in 4 black adults had a negative experience in school in relation to their hair texture
- 46% of parents say their children's school policy penalised Afro hair
- 1 in 5 black women feel societal pressure to straighten their hair for work
What Does the Code Say?
The Code for workplaces can be accessed here, and states:
"Our workplace champions the right of staff to embrace all Afro-hairstyles. We acknowledge that Afro-textured hair is an important part of our Black employees’ racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious identities, and requires specific styling for hair health and maintenance.
We celebrate Afro-textured hair worn in all styles including, but not limited to, afros, locs, twists, braids, cornrows, fades, hair straightened through the application of heat or chemicals, weaves, wigs, headscarves, and wraps.
In this workplace, we recognise and celebrate our colleagues’ identities. We are a community built on an ethos of equality and respect where hair texture and style have no bearing on an employees ability to succeed."
The Code is accompanied by some additional notes for organisations to assist in its implementation.
Do Employers Have to Sign Up to the Code?
No - it is a voluntary Code of Practice which employers may sign up to. Unilever has been confirmed as the first employer to sign up to the Code.
It might be useful for employers, as previous policies banning certain hairstyles have resulted in litigation, including the case of G v St Gregory's Catholic Science College where the High Court found that a school's policy banning male pupils from wearing their hair in cornrows was indirectly discriminatory on grounds of ethnic origin.