Other institutions created by the Good Friday Agreement
The Equality Commission
The Equality Commission is responsible for ensuring that Northern Ireland is a fair place to work and live. Its duties were outlined in the Northern Ireland Act 1998:
- working towards ending discriminationTo treat someone differently or unfairly because they belong to a particular group.
- promoting equal opportunities;
- promoting 'affirmative action', also known as positive discriminationWhen a particular group is given special privileges to compensate for a perceived disadvantage. This could be in the form of employment programmes, housing benefits, and education opportunities.
- promoting good relations between people of different racial groups;
- making sure that the government acts fairly to everyone;
- reviewing new laws to make sure they do not discriminate against anyone.
The Police Ombudsman's Office
In Northern Ireland, police officers are not allowed to investigate complaints made against other officers. This is the job of the Police Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman An official who deals with complaints from the public. investigates cases where the public have accused the police of misconduct or criminality.
It has done a lot of work investigating crimes committed by the police during the The TroublesThe time of unrest and violence in Northern Ireland between 1969 and 1998..