The right to live without fear of discrimination, and your freedom to live the life you choose are rights protected under the law. These are fundamental human and civil rights that should be respected by everyone in our society.
Life Without Discrimination
In an ideal world there would be no discrimination when it comes to issues such as colour, race, religion, age, gender, sexuality and disability. Unfortunately we do not live in an ideal world and the abuse of rights still exists in many countries around the world. There are many countries where the rights of citizens are abused by authorities every day. In Britain there are laws set down that guarantee the protection of certain rights and freedoms for every citizen. These laws are in place to make sure that abuse of rights can have serious legal consequences.
Individual Rights
A number of laws have been passed in Parliament that guarantee certain rights and freedoms to every person in Britain. Britain also subscribes to the fundamental rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights. These rights and freedoms include:
- Freedom to choose your own religious beliefs and views
- Freedom from torture
- The right to live a life free from discrimination
- The right to a fair trial and the right to vote
- The right to freedom of expression and to privacy
- The right to marriage
- The right to freedom from slavery and forced labour
The Fight for Freedom
The right to live without discrimination has been a long battle and this freedom was not given lightly by governments. African-Americans in the US had their freedom take from them centuries ago and it has only been just over 40 years since they regained their civil rights. The rights to equality in areas such as employment, education, housing and voting were all fought for over many years. The rights we now take for granted may have taken a lot longer if it were not for the actions of the Civil Rights Movement in America and Britain.
Freedom and Discrimination
Although we live in a society where the protection of our rights is guaranteed by law this does not mean that discrimination does not occur. Simply because these laws are in place does not stop people abusing other people’s rights. Discrimination can and does occur every day in many different areas across the UK. Freedom from discrimination in the workplace is a guaranteed protection but the number of cases reported seems to be rising.
Discrimination in Employment
Reports compiled by the Employment Tribunal offices show that cases of discrimination in the workplace increased by 15% in 2007. There were 238,546 employment tribunals heard in the period 2006 to 2007. Of that number there were around 90,000 cases of one type of discrimination or another. Simply having discrimination laws in place is not eradicating discrimination in Britain’s workplace. This is the number of reported cases of discrimination; there will no doubt be many more cases that are never reported.
Standing up to Discrimination
Enforcing your rights is the first step towards stamping out discrimination. Many people simply suffer in silence when it comes to this type of abuse of rights. There are many ways to take the first step towards standing up to the discriminators. Talking to colleagues and friends and gaining their support is a good starting point. A discriminator in the workplace is abusing their powers of authority. The sooner they become aware that this type of abuse will not be tolerated the more equal the working environment will become.
Anyone who abuses another person’s rights, such as discrimination in the workplace is effectively curtailing that person’s freedom. Everyone has the right to live their lives without fear of being discriminated against by others. It is only by standing up to discriminators that Britain will eventually become an equal and free society.
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