Human rights and equality campaigners are demanding an investigation into the decision to give the contract to run a discrimination helpline to G4S, the scandal-hit global security firm. A number of organisations, including Liberty, Tell Mama and Inquest, have written to Harriet Harman, the chair of the joint committee on human rights, and Maria Miller, the chair of the women and equalities select committee, to express “profound concern” over the awarding of the contract to run the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) to G4S.  They want the contract, due to begin on 1 October, to be halted until an inquiry is held into both the tendering process and the suitability of G4S to deliver the service properly. They claim that G4S is “manifestly ill-equipped to provide advice on discrimination and human rights” and that the public would be unlikely to have confidence in it.