What is discrimination?

Discrimination stands for any unjustified de facto or de jure unequal treatment, distinction, exclusion, restriction or omission based on personal grounds with the aim or effect of obstructing, reducing or avoiding equal recognition, enjoyment or exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms or other rights, legal interests and benefits.

In order to talk about discrimination, it is necessary that a person is subject to worse or unequal treatment, precisely because of their personal grounds.

This means that a person has been treated worse only because they are a man or a woman (personal ground of gender), because they are of a certain nationality (personal ground of nationality), because they have a different colour of skin than the majority in a certain environment (personal ground of race or ethnic origin), because they do not know the language of a certain environment (personal ground of language), because they are a Christian, a Muslim or a member of another religion (personal ground of religion or belief), because they have certain disabilities (personal ground of disability), because they are younger and older (personal ground of age), because they fall in love with persons of the same sex (personal ground of sexual orientation), because despite the physical characteristics attributed to the male or female sex, their behaviour is more similar to the behaviour attributed to the other sex (personal ground of gender identity and gender expression), because they are homeless (personal ground of social status), because they are poor (personal ground of property status), because they have a certain education (personal ground of education) or due to pregnancy, parenting, and the like.

Discrimination is prohibited in Slovenia. Anyone who has been the victim of discrimination may turn to the Advocate of the Principle of Equality for advice.

The protection against discrimination is guaranteed in various areas of social life, in the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms as well as in the exercise of rights and obligations and in other legal relations in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or other spheres not including private relationships between different individuals. However, it also applies to legal entities if the grounds that could be the basis for discrimination materially relate to them.

If you feel you’re being discriminated against fill the form »Complaint against discrimination« or call us during office hours every working day from 10am to 12am, on Wednesday also from 3pm to 6pm, on the phone number +386 (0)1 4735 531 or 080 81 80 (number accessible only from Slovenia).