Equal Opportunities

• 01. Introduction

• There are many situations where you might be discriminated against because of your age, or your sex, or because you are gay or lesbian, for example. This leaflet explains when there are laws to protect you from discrimination, and what you can do if you are...

• 02. When discrimination can happen

• Discrimination happens when someone is treated worse ('less favourably' in legal terms) than another person in the same situation. Discrimination may happen: At work. For example, a black person might be refused a job without good reason, or be...

• 03. Types of discrimination

• The law on equality talks about two types of discrimination. Direct discrimination, which is when you are treated less favourably simply because, for example, you are black, or you are a woman. Indirect discrimination, which can happen where there are...

• 04. Sex discrimination

• There are two laws which make sure that men and women are treated equally: The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (as amended 1986) makes it unlawful to discriminate against men or against women in employment, education, housing, or providing goods and...

• 05. What you can do about discrimination

• If you have been discriminated against, first think about what you want to be done. Depending on how you were discriminated against, you may want: your job back; compensation; an apology; or a clear sign that an organisation won't...

• 06. Going to an employment tribunal

• If you want to make a complaint under the Sex Discrimination Act or Equal Pay Act, you must send your complaint either on form ET1 or in a letter to the Regional Office of Employment Tribunals. You can get this from your local Jobcentre Plus, Citizens Advice...

• 07. Going to court

• If you want to take a case to court, you must start your case within six months minus one day from when the discrimination happened. The court can give you copies of the claim form N1 and more information about procedures. How will I pay for my case? If...

• 08. The Human Rights Act

• The Human Rights Act 1998 covers many different types of discrimination - including some which are not covered by other discrimination laws. However, it can be used only when one of the other articles (the specific principles) of the act applies, such as...

• 09. Discrimination because of your religious beliefs

• There is currently no law to protect you if you are discriminated against because of your religious beliefs. though new laws come into force in December 2003 which will make discrimination at work because of religion or belief illegal. Until then, you may...

• 10. Discrimination because of your age

• There are currently no laws to stop people or organisations from discriminating against you because of your age. At work, for example, employers are allowed to take into account people's ages when recruiting, or when choosing workers for promotion or...

• 11. Discrimination against gay and lesbian people

• There are no laws at the moment to protect gay and lesbian people from discrimination, though new laws came into force in December 2003 making discrimination at work because of sexual orientation illegal. At work, your employer may have their own equal...

• 12. Further Help

• Equal Opportunities Commission phone: 08456 015 901 The website of Equal Opportunities Commission Advisory Centre for Education (ACE) For advice on discrimination in schools Helpline open Monday to Friday 2pm...