Equal treatment advocates demand more protection against discrimination!

Equal treatment advocates demand more protection against discrimination!

The Equal Treatment Ombudsman has received positive signals from the government regarding the further development of the equal treatment bodies. As part of the government agreement, the implementation of EU standards will be pushed forward, which promises important steps against discrimination in Austria, such as ots.at reported. The legal profession is calling for a significant increase in preventive work in order to prevent discrimination in advance. A particularly pressing problem is the lack of financial and human resources, which results in a quarter of all training requests having to be rejected. Sandra Konstatzky, head of the Equal Opportunity Office, emphasizes the need to increase the budget for training and information as well as for data collection in order to effectively implement preventive anti-discrimination measures.

Urgent reforms in protection against discrimination

The Equal Treatment Ombudsman is also calling for expansion of the right of action to create legal clarity for those affected. This expansion is also anchored in the new EU guidelines, which have been in force since May 7, 2024. As an example, the problem is pointed out that some discriminatory practices, such as the recent example of a Carinthian restaurant operator who did not want to serve “Arabs,” cannot be adequately punished without those affected directly contacting the legal profession. In order to counteract this, a legal basis for collective actions should be created in order to be able to take action against racist statements, as Konstatzky explains. The creation of a uniform equal treatment law is also seen as urgently necessary in order to effectively combat discrimination.

The lack of mandatory consultations with equality bodies in political and legislative processes is another serious concern that needs to be addressed, according to Sandra Konstatzky. The same standards as in Germany should also apply in Austria in order to incorporate the expertise of the equal treatment attorney into the legislation. In order to comprehensively master the challenges of equal treatment in a social context, the Equal Treatment Ombudsman appeals to the new government to implement the necessary reforms as soon as possible and to implement the planned EU directives in practice equaltreatmentattorney.gv.at reported.