29.04.2009 - UK - Newsletter
THE Equality Commission has helped win damages for three people including a man living with HIV, a fall victim and a man "humiliated" by private security staff at Belfast International Airport.

28.04.2009 - UK - Herald
Businesses in Scotland will come under pressure to print details of the pay gap between their male and female employees.

Equality Minister Harriet Harman yesterday announced that proposed legislation will simplify the complex maze of anti-discrimination law that exists in the UK.

She pledged to "shine a light" on hidden pay discrimination against women in the workplace as well as improve rights for disabled people and ethnic minorities. But the proposals have been criticised by industry leaders as adding an extra burden to businesses already struggling to cope in the recession.

28.04.2009 - USA - Yahoo News
White man's burden? Discrimination suits flourish
The issue of reverse discrimination first reached the nation's highest court in the 1970s, when a student with good grades named Allan Bakke accused a University of California medical school of twice denying him admission because he was white.

Strict racial quotas were unconstitutional, the court said — affirmative action was not. But that ruling far from decided what many considered the big-picture issue: does protecting minorities discriminate against the majority?
...
Several states have recently faced legal battles waged by whites claiming they were unfairly treated in favor of protecting and promoting blacks and Hispanics.

Earlier this month in South Carolina, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued a historically black college on behalf of three white faculty members who complained they were forced from or denied jobs because of their race.

Simultaneously, federal officials said they had reached a settlement agreement, with Benedict College paying $55,000 to each instructor, including an art teacher who said she was denied promotion in favor of a black professor. The institution denied the accusations.

27.04.2009 - UK - BBC
A woman has called for an end to NHS age discrimination after revealing how doctors "wrongly assumed" her elderly husband's life was not worth saving.

27.04.2009 - UK - Scotsman
SERIOUS concerns over the extent of workplace inequalities in Scotland and plans to address them are revealed in a report published today.

More than half of senior HR professionals at Scottish organisations surveyed by law firm DLA Piper Scotland have admitted concerns that women and minority groups are under-represented in their organisation.

27.04.2009 - UK - Herald
The Equality Bill has been a long time coming and will no doubt delight and disappoint in equal measure. While we welcome the Bill as a demonstration of the government's continued commitment to equality we, as women, hoped the bill would finally enable us to achieve what many think has already been achieved - equal pay.
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We have had an equal pay act for almost 40 years and the reality is that the pay gap, whilst reducing over the years, is again on the increase and is currently around 17.1%.
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UK employers have had their chance to pay women equally and have failed. Whether through old-fashioned notions of women working for pin-money, or the idea that it's a man that supports the family, the gap has endured.

So despite the swift and predictable cries of "a recession is no time to be increasing costs on business", we don't think the bill goes far enough.

27.04.2009 - UK - Guardian
Harriet Harman's equality bill aims to outlaw discrimination, but it's not such an easy concept to nail down

27.04.2009 - Ireland - BreakingNews
Discrimination in adademic selection tests in North inevitable, says Ruane
Catholic schools which retain academic selection will inevitably discriminate against some children, the North's Education Minister claimed today.

Many Catholic grammars have already announced they will set independent tests, while more than 30 state schools have said they will continue to use academic selection against Caitriona Ruane’s wishes.

27.04.2009 - EU - EU Observer
Lack of transparency remained the key topic of EU citizens' complaints to the European ombudsman last year, with Maltese, Luxembourg, Cypriot and Belgian citizens having the most grumbles.

24.04.2009 - EU - Expatica
About 80 percent of discrimination and racially motivated violence crimes are unreported, reveals the first ever EU-wide survey on immigrant and ethnic minority groups' experiences of discrimination and racist crime.
...
The Roma gypsies reported the highest levels of discrimination, with one in two respondents saying they were the victims of discrimination in the last 12 months.

Sub-Saharan Africans were also among the worst affected, with 41 percent saying they had been discriminated against, followed by North Africans at 36 percent.

23.04.2009 - Ireland - Irish Times
A BIG majority of Africans and Roma living in the EU report discrimination, according to a survey published yesterday by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), with more than 90 per cent having experienced discrimination in certain of the EU’s 27 member states.

24.04.2009 - CZ - CTK
Four out of five Czechs are of the view that some population groups are discriminated against at work, according to a poll conducted by the polling institute STEM in April and released today.

22.04.2009 - Belgique - rtbf
Trois immigrés sur quatre en Belgique trouvent la discrimination très répandue
22.04.09 - 18:15 Plus de trois quarts des immigrés issus d'Afrique du Nord ou de Turquie trouvent que la discrimination est très répandue en Belgique, selon une large enquête réalisée par l'Agence européenne des droits fondamentaux.

22.04.2009 - Deutschland - Spiegel
Drohungen, Angriffe, Belästigungen: Rassismus ist in Europa einer EU-Studie zufolge weiter verbreitet als offiziell bekannt. Ausländer und Angehörige ethnischer Minderheiten klagen über stete Diskriminierung, besonders betroffen sind Roma und Afrikaner.

22.04.2009 - Deutschland - Bremer Morgenpost
Welt
Viele Ausländer in Deutschland fühlen sich wegen ihrer Herkunft ungerecht behandelt. Über Diskriminierung klagen laut einer EU-Studie mehr als die Hälfte der Türken und fast ebenso viele Ex-Jugoslawen. Im Vergleich zu anderen Ländern in Europa sind diese Quoten allerdings noch gering.

22.04.2009 - CZ - CTK

Czech Romanies feel most discriminated from EU countries

Almost two-thirds of Romanies in the Czech Republic felt some discrimination over the past 12 months, which was the highest figure in EU countries, according to a European survey on the situation of minorities conducted by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights and released.

22.04.2009 - EU - The Parliament
New EU-wide report reveals 'widespread' discrimination against migrants

Racist crime in member states is 'far more widespread' than previously thought, according to a new report published on Wednesday

A Brussels press conference was told that official data represents only the "tip of the iceberg" and that a "large number" of incidents go unreported.

22.04.2009 - UN - DRadio
Anti-Rassismus-Konferenz: Ban zufrieden mit Abschluss-Erklärung

UNO-Generalsekretär Ban Ki Moon hat die Abschlusserklärung der Anti-Rassismus-Konferenz in Genf begrüßt. Damit gebe die internationale Gemeinschaft den Millionen Opfern von Diskriminierung, Fremdenfeindlichkeit und Intoleranz neue Hoffnung, sagte Ban in New York. Zugleich bedauerte er, dass mehrere Staaten, darunter die USA und Deutschland dem Treffen ferngeblieben sind. Die Teilnehmer der Konferenz hatten die Abschluss-Erklärung bereits gestern verabschiedet, drei Tage vor dem Ende der Veranstaltung.

21.04.2009 - UN - Earth Times
The member states of the United Nations attending the Durban Review Conference against racism adopted by consensus the final outcome document, calling on states to fight intolerance and discrimination. The adopted text is the same as what 189 states agreed on at the end of last week.

It is a slimmed down version of earlier texts, from which the most controversial sections and phrases were removed. It contains no mention of Israel and does not directly limit free speech by limiting critique of religions, as some had feared it would include.

20.04.2009 - UK - Telegraph
Network Rail spent millions of pounds of taxpayers' money in compensation payouts to staff amid allegations of race and sex discrimination, it has been claimed.
Almost 100 staff are said to have received pay-offs from the organisation, with many signing confidentiality clauses prevent them from speaking publicly about why they left the company.

Dozens of employees have received six-figure payouts while three senior employees were paid between £450,000 and £850,000, a Sunday newspaper has claimed.

19.04.2009 - UK - Hindustan Times
A British school has been asked to pay a 200,000-pound legal bill, including damages to a Sikh student, in a racial discrimination case over banning her from wearing a religious bangle.

19.04.2009 - Vatikan - kathweb
Papst Benedikt XVI. hat mit Blick auf die am Montag in Genf beginnende UN-Antirassismus-Konferenz Benedikt XVI. unterstützt Genfer Antirassismus-Konferenzaufgerufen. Eine sichere Grundlage dafür sei die Anerkennung der Würde des Menschen als Gottes Ebenbild, sagte er am Sonntag beim Mittagsgebet in Castel Gandolfo.

19.04.2009 - UK - Telegraph
An elderly waiter is suing the hotel where he worked for more than £100,000 after they called time on his career.

16.04.2009 - Deutschland - Saarbrücker Zeitung
Dürfen Versicherungen noch unterschiedliche Tarife anbieten, weil das Diskriminierung bedeutet? Nächste Woche beginnen die Beratungen über eines der umstrittensten Gesetzeswerke der EU.

16.04.2009 - UK - Newsletter
A ZIMBABWEAN-born vet has been paid £50,000 by a Stormont government department.
The Department of Agriculture has agreed to the settlement and apologised to Dr Crispin Madavo, who claimed internal disciplinary proceedings against him were acts of victimisation.

16.04.2009 - France - Le Monde
Le Conseil d'Etat aurait annulé, vendredi 10 avril, les résultats du concours interne 2007 des officiers de police pour cause de discrimination raciale, selon une information révélée jeudi par France Bleu Ile-de-France.

16.04.2009 - UK - Yorkshire Post
Daily Mail
A SENIOR NHS manager yesterday won record damages against a Yorkshire health trust which failed to appoint her to a new post because she was too old.
...
In a damning judgment yesterday, an employment tribunal in Leeds awarded maximum damages of £33,500 for injury to feelings over the age discrimination and a further £5,700 in aggravated damages – the highest award ever for injury to feelings for any act of discrimination in the UK.

Further hearings will be held later this year over further claims against the trust which risks paying up to £1m in damages and costs in the case.

16.04.2009 - UK - Dailymail Older stroke victims are getting a raw deal from the age discrimination that dominates the Health Service, researchers claim.

They say younger patients receive a better level of care, including more diagnostic tests and lifestyle advice.

The study, by doctors at Mayday University Hospital, Croydon, South London, assessed the treatment given to 379 patients at a 'rapid access' clinic for suspected stroke or mini stroke between 2004 and 2006.

15.04.2009 - UK - Yorkshire Eveningpost
A former NHS manager who won an age discrimination case against Leeds hospitals has not yet received an apology, a tribunal heard.

14.04.2009 - Canada - MSNBC
Some people enjoy flirtation and sexual innuendos in the workplace, and others find it rude, but either way it seems to drag down everyone's morale. Especially among men, a surprising new study reveals.

14.04.2009 - UK - Reuters
The European Commission started legal action against Britain Tuesday for what the EU executive called a failure to keep people's online details confidential.

07.04.2009 - United Kingdom - Telegraph
Lesbians win compensation for sexual discrimination
A lesbian couple who were "humiliated" by jokes and sexual taunts by colleagues could receive compensation of up to £136,000 after a tribunal ruled they suffered discrimination.

11.04.2009 - Deutschland - Migazin
Die von der Antidiskriminierungsstelle des Bundes kürzlich herausgegebene Sinus-Milieustudie “Diskriminierung im Alltag” offenbart neben enormen Vorurteilen im Zusammenhang mit der Religion - insbesondere gegenüber Muslimen - auch viel Handlungsbedarf innerhalb der Mehrheitsgesellschaft, wenn es um die ethnische Herkunft oder um die Hautfarbe von Migranten geht.

09.04.2009 - Österreich - Die Presse
Laut Amnesty International sind Disziplinarverfahren „völlig unzureichend“.

09.04.2009 - Österreich - ORF
Die Menschenrechtsorganisation Amnesty International (AI) kritisiert in ihrem jüngsten Rassismusbericht rassistische Diskriminierungen im Polizei- und Justizsystem. Die Polizei wies diese Vorwürfe zurück.

09.04.2009 - Slowakei - 20minuten
Sechs slowakische Polizeibeamte müssen mit ihrer Entlassung rechnen: Sie hatten Roma-Jungen dazu gezwungen, sich gegenseitig zu ohrfeigen und sich auszuziehen.

09.04.2008 - UK - Independent
Guardian
Equality and Human Rights Commission
Harriet Harman, the minister for Women, has renewed her attack on the financial industry, describing it as a "breeding ground for discrimination", after it emerged that women working in the City were being paid as much as 60 per cent less than their male counterparts.

08.04.2009 - Bosnie-Herzégovine - Le Courier des Balkans
Bien que la situation économique, politique et sociale des Rroms de Republika Srpska soit pour le moins délicate, on observe les signes de quelques améliorations dans l’entité serbe de Bosnie-Herzégovine. Des associations rroms ont été créées depuis la fin de la guerre et certaines institutions de l’entité tentent aujourd’hui de promouvoir l’éducation des populations rroms et de régler la question du logement. La ville de Banja Luka a également été distinguée par un prix de la campagne Dosta !, du Conseil de l’Europe.

08.04.2009 - UK - Yorkshire Post
Health Secretary Alan Johnson yesterday announced a review to draw up proposals for health and social care chiefs to quickly end age discrimination.
Ministers have already pledged to end age discrimination in the NHS constitution and will further strengthen regulations in the upcoming Equality Bill.

07.04.2009 - France - Le Parisien
les préjugés s’accrochent
Si huit Français sur dix jugent les diplômés des cités performants et consciencieux, un sur deux estime qu’ils ont des problèmes d’intégration dans les entreprises.

07.04.2009 - USA - MSNBC
Many workplace experts believe incidents of discrimination are probably underreported because many workers are reluctant to take legal action. Some workers fear retaliation or being blackballed from their industry. Others may be asked to waive their right to bring charges against an employer in return for severance pay. And proving bias can be a difficult and long process.

07.04.2009 - Malta - The Malta Independent
Enormous advances in the mentality regarding working women were made by Maltese society in a relatively short time, but there are still major milestones to be reached.

Equality issues were discussed during the fifth annual conference of the national Commission for the Promotion of Equality. Sina Bugeja, NCPE executive director, presented an overview of the commission’s 2008 annual report.

06.04.2009 - United Kingdom
A black council officer told not to eat lunch with other staff has won £112,000 compensation for racial discrimination.
Daily Telegraph
Daily Mail

05.04.2009 - Guardian - United Kingdom
Charities for battered women have been threatened with the loss of their funding unless they help male victims of domestic violence, under new equality laws.

04.04.2009- Ceske Noviny
Prague - The Czech Republic has not yet transposed 47 EU directives into its national legal order, according to the latest information on the website of the government's Information System of Law Approximation (ISAP).

President Vaclav Klaus vetoed the anti-discrimination bill last May.
More

03.04.2009 - France - Le Monde
"Il faut développer l'"affirmative action" en France"
L'intégralité du débat avec Louis Schweitzer, président de la Haute autorité de lutte contre les discriminations et pour l'égalité, lundi 6 avril 2009. M. Schweitzer prône le développement de l'"action positive en France en la basant sur des critères sociaux", sans que "cela n'implique de classer chaque personne dans une catégorie ethno-raciale".

02.04.2009 - France - NouvelObservateur
Dans un rapport intitulé "France, des policiers au-dessus des lois", l'ONG entend démontrer que les forces de l'ordre bénéficient d'une certaine impunité et craint "l'existence d'un racisme institutionnalisé au sein des organes chargés de l'application des lois en France"

02.04.2009 - France - Nouvel observateure

Dans un rapport intitulé "France, des policiers au-dessus des lois", l'ONG entend démontrer que les forces de l'ordre bénéficient d'une certaine impunité et craint "l'existence d'un racisme institutionnalisé au sein des organes chargés de l'application des lois en France".

Dans un rapport publié jeudi 2 avril, Amnesty International dénonce "l'impunité" dont bénéficie en France des membres des forces de l'ordre accusés de graves violations des droits de l'Homme et demande aux autorités françaises de mettre en place un "organe d'enquête indépendant".

02.04.2009 - Prets und Ettl: Erfolg für Antidiskriminierung im EU Parlament (DE)

Die neue Antidiskriminierungsrichtlinie bedeutet eine positive Ausweitung des bisherigen EU Rechts zum Schutz vor Diskriminierungen. Gleichbehandlung ungeachtet der Religion oder der Weltanschauung, einer Behinderung, des Alters oder der sexuellen Ausrichtung war bisher auf den Arbeits- und Beschäftigungsbereich beschränkt. "Nun gilt das auch für andere Lebensbereiche wie Wohnbau, Gesundheit, öffentlicher Transport oder Zugang zu Gütern und Dienstleistungen" erläutert SPÖ-Europaabgeordneter Harald Ettl.
Weiter

02.04.2009 - EP - EPP-ED
La lutte contre les discriminations n'est ni de droite ni de gauche, elle ne doit pas être instrumentalisée ! Patrick Gaubert, MdPE

Patrick Gaubert a toujours défendu la lutte ferme et efficace contre toutes les formes de discrimination et contre l'homophobie. Il a d'ailleurs apporté son soutien et celui de son groupe lors du vote en commission des libertés civiles du rapport de Mme Buitenweg, démontrant ainsi que la lutte contre les discriminations n'est ni de droite ni de gauche !
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"Une législation contre les discriminations n'a de sens que si elle apporte un clarté juridique et une protection réelle pour les personnes, nous ne pouvons pas nous accommoder de vœux pieux irréalisables en pratique ! Ce n'est pas ma conception !

02.04.2009 - Kleine Zeitung (Kärnten):
Isabella Scheiflinger (44) ist die neue Behindertenanwältin des Landes. Zu ihren Aufgaben zählt auch das Aufzeigen von Diskriminierungen.

02.04.2008 - euobserver.com:
The European Parliament on Thursday (2 April) passed a bill banning discrimination against people on the basis of age, disability, sexual orientation, belief or religion in the areas of education, social security, health care and goods and services.

The draft law was passed on Thursday (2 April) by 363 votes in favour and 226 against after the left wing and liberal MEPs clubbed together to back the legislation. Many centre-right MEPs were against the proposal saying it would lead to too much red tape.