What is discrimination?

To discriminate is to treat people unfairly because of their association or perceived

connection to a group. Acts of discrimination take many different forms. For example, a
tourist is made to pay a higher price for a place to stay because the landlord thinks he
has a lot of money, whiles the locals pay a lower rate for the same facility.
Unknowingly many of us have treated others unfairly. In the same way, many of us have
also been victims of unfair treatment.
Sometimes, there could be a reasonable explanation for a perceived discrimination act,
and unlike physical abuse or rape, there may be no evidence of the act, and it may be
difficult to prove that there has been a discrimination incident.

Exclusion and rejection are key ingredients in discrimination. They occur when people
do not appreciate diversity or differences. They occur when people are prejudiced or
have formed their own opinion about others because of their social, political, religious,
sexuality, interests, culture, traditions, and so on.
In the past, nations have also treated its citizens and other nations unfairly. For example,
some jobs (Example: kindergarten teaching) were done by women because they are
thought to be more nurturing. That is stereotype. In many countries, professions such as

driving, army, police, and construction workers were all considered male jobs and
women had a hard time getting into them.
Types of discrimination

Here are a few types of discrimination:

Direct discrimination:
Probably the simplest and most common form, this kind is an unfair treatment of
another person because of specific protected characteristics, or perceived characteristic,
or their association with someone with that protected characteristic.
Indirect discrimination:
Sometimes there are laws and policies that put a person in a disadvantaged position.
Such policies apply to every person in that circle (school, workplace or community) but
because of some particular characteristic that you have, the law hits you harder than
others. If the policy makers can prove that they considered your characteristics and
ended up with the policy with the least effect, it can be disqualified as discrimination.
Harassment:
This is an unwanted, offensive, humiliating and intimidation act directed at you because
of your age, disability, gender, race, sexual orientation or religion. Harassment can be in
the form of gestures, spoken or written words, images or jokes.
Sexual harassment:
This is a kind of harassment, as explained above, but sexual in nature. Sexual
harassment incidents often leave you degraded, humiliated, and offended. It tends to
violate your dignity and makes one feel inferior in many ways. This kind of
discrimination may also come with threats and promises that make you feel vulnerable.
Victimization:
This is the unfavorable treatment one receives, often as a reaction to the person's claim
of discrimination, or because the person is supporting someones claim of
discrimination, or the persons intentions about something. In an office setting, the

person can be excluded from many activities as a punishment, until the person decides
to leave the job at his own will.
Preventing discrimination
Children are never born racists or with discriminatory minds. They learn these
behaviors from people and events around them. If parents or care givers tell them
things that make them see people in a different light, they will grow up with that idea,
and it may be difficult to correct when they are adults.

For Parents or caregivers

The greatest prevention plan may come from parents. Parents must set good examples in their
attitudes, words and behavior towards others. Children are able to recognize differences and
hold sectarian prejudices from the age of three.
Do not think children are too young to know about prejudice and discrimination. As children
grow, speak to them about prejudice and discrimination and how that hurts people. Speak to
them about the need to appreciate differences. Encourage our children to think through the
consequences of prejudice & discrimination for themselves Barnados
Encourage and support children who have been discriminated at. Doing nothing is not a good
idea, as it will not make discrimination go away.

For young people

It is very important that you realize that the world is a very big place and there are humans
living in many other places, very far from you. Because of that, people do things differently and
are brought up differently. That means what you think is cool may not be so for another person,
because of where they come from. Being different is a good thing. Can you imagine if every
human was just like you?
Learn to appreciate diversity and respect people who are different in any way. People may be
disabled, transgender, dark-skin or have a different hair color. No one chose to be that way. If

even people choose to believe or join specific groups, they have a right to belong and a right to
believe what they want. We MUST learn to respect that, just as you would like others to respect
you for who you are.

Effects of Discrimination
Like abuse and bullying acts, there are effects and consequences and no one wins. Here
are a few:
The Victim
Physical and emotional impacts:
Exclusion or rejection directed to you by others for reasons that you often have no
control of can cause extreme worry to an individual. It results in anxiety, sadness,
depression and a feeling of guilt and emptiness. These often translate into depression,
loss of interest, eating disorders and stress-related ailments.
Social, educational and financial impacts:
Discrimination, harassment and victimization leave the individual confused and
broken.
They may take to alcohol or drugs, or may form their own opinions on others, develop a
hatred for others, or withdraw from people.
It can affect them financially, may lose their job, quit school or do poorly at school.
Society and Businesses
Communities and businesses that fail to take strong action on discrimination tend to be
lower in productivity. This is because people feel disgruntled, and loose interest in
working hard. There is a drop in morale, trust and confidence on the part of the
employees. People with talents and exceptional skills and abilities are not attracted to
these places because they do not want to be
discriminated against.
Politics
People who face racial discrimination may
regroup with some vengeance in mind against
other groups. This can fuel conflicts and social
discords. In fact, many conflicts and wars have
been started in this way.

The Culprit
There are very strict laws on discrimination that may be applied to individuals who
discriminate. There is no excuse, even if you did not know that your actions were
discriminatory. Employees and individuals can bring legal action on the business or
individual who did the act, and there are consequences for guilty parties.
Where does discrimination occur?
In any human community or settlement, discrimination can occur.
Workplace: At workplaces, some employers fail to hire people because of who they
are. New staff are sometimes promoted over others who have been around longer.
Peoples contracts are terminated and not renewed because of their protected
characteristic or association to a group
School: Children from minorities or protected characteristics have been denied
admission, or scholarships, or have been excluded from educational programs.
Housing: Many families have had to endure long periods of hard times because
landlords and housing officials have treated them unfairly. They are given all sorts of
ridiculous reasons, with the intention of making the homes available to other people
that they are more comfortable with.
Public Places: Many people have been given disrespectful treatment at public places
such as restaurants, markets, hospitals and sports facilities, just because they look like or
have some characteristics that others are not comfortable with.
Access to credit/funds: People have been denied credit or funds bust because they
come from particular families, or are known to be from poor backgrounds, or for other
reasons.
Politics/Voting: People are often prevented from being active in political groups
because they are perceived to carry negative images. People have also been
disenfranchised (prevented from voting) because of their social, cultural, religious or
political backgrounds.
Law/Police: People are sometimes treated, or profiled by police just because of their
skin color or the way they dress.
Travel/Tourism: People have been denied visas, or harassed by security officers at the
airport, or been treated unfairly because they are perceived to be troublemakers or
dangerous people.