Human Rights - Prohibition of discrimination

HUMAN RIGHTS

Prohibition of discrimination

Article 14 of the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia provides that all are equal before the law and prohibits discrimination on the basis of personal circumstances. No one may, on account of such circumstances – including nationality, ethnic origin, sex, language, disability, political or other conviction, religion or other personal characteristics – be treated less favourably than persons in a comparable situation without justification. The prohibition of discrimination derives from the principle of equal treatment, which is one of the fundamental principles of the protection of human rights. Discrimination may also arise where apparently neutral rules or practices in fact place certain groups of people at a disproportionate disadvantage and there is no objective, legitimate and proportionate justification for this. In addition to the prohibition of discrimination itself, it is therefore important to remove barriers and create conditions in which all have equal opportunities to access services, education, employment and other public goods.

Simona Drenik Bavdek

Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia