Giving Compass' Take:

• Imogen Calderwood explains how Brexit would separate the UK from Eu human rights protections and funding that support gender equality and women's rights. 

• How can the UK ensure the rights of women? Is Brexit the right choice for the UK?

• Read the full gender equality report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has warned that Brexit could represent a significant step back in terms of gender equality in the UK, in its broadest-ever review into women’s rights.

The report , “Pressing for Progress: Women’s Rights and Gender Equality in 2018,” was published Monday and sought to demonstrate the extent to which gender equality affects the various facets of women’s lives.

It warns that, once the UK has officially Brexited, the gender equality protections currently afforded by the EU aren’t necessarily included in UK domestic legislation. Particular areas of concern for the EHRC are employment rights and funding for women’s services.

For example, right now in Britain, the Equality Act 2010 provides protection against various forms of discrimination, particularly in areas such as work, the provisions of goods and services, and education.

But the sweeping act isn’t included in the current version of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, which was introduced in the UK parliament in July 2017.

The accompanying White Paper states that “all the protections covered in the Equality Act 2006, the Equality Act 2010 … will continue to apply once the UK has left the EU.”

But this isn’t included in the bill. That means the provisions included in the act won’t be binding under UK law after Brexit.

The Brexit bill, if passed in its current form, also wouldn’t include the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights that, among other things includes the right to non-discrimination, the rights of children, and the right to fair and just working conditions, according to the report.

Read the full article about the consequences of Brexit by Imogen Calderwood at Global Citizen.