Year 2012 in the Equal Treatment Program

In 2012 there were several projects carried out in the Equal Treatment Program: monitoring the implementation of the Council of Europe’s Recommendation on measures to combat discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity; gender and sexual harassment in employement which is managed by PRAXIS Center for Policy Studies and where EHRC expert Marianne Meiorg takes part in and an international project ELDIA (European Language Diversity for All).

Also the free equal treatment consultations continued. In 2012 77 people needed consultation. Consultations were given in Estonian, Russian and English.

There were various reasons why people came to consultation. There were cases, where discrimination or other human rights devolation had taken place. But there was also cases, where people didn´t know where to turn to get help.

People who came to consultation decribed discrimination in the grounds of:

  • gender
  • disability
  • nationality
  • sexual orientation
  • language
  • race
  • colour
  • age
  • religion

Gender based problems were for example:
an NGO (religious organization) was paying different salary for the same work to man and women
– harrasment by the employer (women can´t have vocation, employer is redusing salary and adding work load)
– stalking by the ex-husband on the streets and public places.

Rase, nationality,  color based probles were:
–  the employer is treating the worker from ohter nationality different then the Estonian workers
– on the public places and on the streets people with dark skin color do not feel safe, they experiece  insulting, attacks.

Disabilty based problems were:
disabled children in public schools/restrictions on freedom of movement
– disabled people in prison/handicapped people can’t have neccessary equipment and does not have access to the services
– custody problems/the quality of work on local governments
– employer is consciously treating badly those people, who have serious illness (changing work conditions, insulting, offending).

Religious based problems were:
– when making the work schedule the employer is not taking into account that the emolyee is a religious person – on Sundays and during Christmas the eployee was not able to go to church.

The equal treatment consultations will continue in 2013. Counselling takes place each Wednesday from 10.00 to 15.00.

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