VIDEO 1: DISCRIMINATION

Discrimination is treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in

favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category
to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit

The types are:

Disability
Race Age
Color Marital status
Ancestry Family status
Place of origin Sex or Gender (includes being pregnant,
Citizenship sexual harassment)
Ethnic origin Sexual orientation
Creed (religion) Gender identity
Receipt of social assistance Gender expression
(housing only) Record of offenses (employment only,
must have been pardoned)

Discrimination can occur in many ways, therefore, two types of

discrimination can be distinguished. The first is direct discrimination. It
is when an individual or group of people is apparently treated worse
than the rest of society, for instance offering lower wages for people with
Roma origin. The second type is indirect discrimination, which is based on
a seemingly equal treatment of all, for example, rejecting disabled people
as candidates in the recruitment for the job, even though they met all
the requirements.

The cause of discrimination is strongly rooted in a constantly duplicated

stereotypes

Age Discrimination

Age discrimination involves treating someone less favorably because of

his age.

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) only forbids age

discrimination against people who are age 40 or older. It does not protect
workers under the age of 40, although some states do have laws that
protect younger workers from age discrimination.
Disability Discrimination

Disability discrimination occurs when an employer or other entity covered

by the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended, or the Rehabilitation
Act, as amended, treats a qualified individual with a disability who is an
employee or applicant unfavorably because she has a disability.

Harassment

Harassment is unwelcome conduct that is based on race, color, religion,

sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or
genetic information. Harassment becomes unlawful where 1) enduring the
offensive conduct becomes a condition of continued employment, or 2)
the conduct is severe or pervasive enough to create a work environment
that a reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile, or abusive.
Anti-discrimination laws also prohibit harassment against individuals in
retaliation for filing a discrimination charge, testifying, or participating in
any way in an investigation, proceeding, or lawsuit under these laws; or
opposing employment practices that they reasonably believe
discriminate against individuals, in violation of these laws.

National Origin Discrimination

National origin discrimination involves treating people unfavorably

because they are from a particular country or part of the world, because
of ethnicity or accent, or because they appear to be of a certain ethnic
background

Pregnancy Discrimination

Pregnancy discrimination involves treating a woman unfavorably because

of pregnancy, childbirth, or a medical condition related to pregnancy or
childbirth.

Race/Color Discrimination

Race discrimination involves treating someone unfavorably because

he/she is of a certain race or because of personal characteristics
associated with race (such as hair texture, skin color, or certain facial
features). Color discrimination involves treating someone unfavorably
because of skin color complexion

Religious Discrimination

Religious discrimination involves treating a person unfavorably because

of his or her religious beliefs. The law protects not only people who belong
to traditional, organized religions, such as Buddhism, Christianity,
Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism, but also others who have sincerely held
religious, ethical or moral beliefs.

Sex-Based Discrimination

Sex discrimination involves treating someone unfavorably because of that

person's sex.

Sex discrimination also can involve treating someone less favorably

because of his or her connection with an organization or group that is
generally associated with people of a certain sex.

Effects

The effects of discrimination is mainly social exclusion of a person or

group. This leads to a loss of confidence, and aversion to life. Fight against
discrimination requires a lot of effort, elimination of the
prevailing stereotypes and prejudices is a long term process. Education is
necessary, especially education concerning children, who reproduce their
parents patterns of behavior, not necessarily the right ones. International
law says about equality of all people without regard to any factors, so it
should be consistently followed in every situation and it should be
reminded to those people, who do not apply to it.

FIVE WAYS TO FIGHT DISCRIMINATION

1. ACT: Educate yourself about discrimination.

2. SPEAK UP: Discriminatory actions and speech should be exposed and

denounced. Speak up when you hear offensive jokes or slurs. Let people
know that biased speech is never acceptable.
Using your voice, however, can be difficult and uncomfortable to do. Learn
how to speak up no matter what situation you're in.
3. UNITE: Get involved with the existing groups in your community that
promote diversity and fight discrimination. If these groups don't exist,
encourage those around you to form one. Don't wait for someone else to
take action. You and a few friends could be the catalyst for change

4. BE A LEADER: Work with teachers, principals, politicians and community

leaders. Working with the people in charge can be a great way to get more
done. Discourage the use of discriminatory ideals and practices.
Acknowledge and celebrate the diverse leaders in your community. Invite
these leaders to speak to their communities about their experiences with
discrimination. Urge and help leaders to promote tolerance, equality, and
opportunity.

5. DIG DEEPER: Explore your own prejudices and stereotypes. Where do you
fit in? Seek out books with diverse characters and themes. Reading can be
a good way to learn about the lives of people whose experiences are much
different than your own.

Just by becoming aware of the words we use, we can begin to change the
way we think about each other and our differences. Consider the language
we use and the power it has to affect the ways we organize our world and
each other. The words we choose are often a subconscious way we
communicate and perpetuate discrimination.