Discrimination is still a big issue in society
According to the Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson discrimination prevention and communication group’s adviser Marius Morkevicius, Zero Discrimination Day is important in helping us remember what we should be striving for everyday: to create a more favourable and safer environment for everyone so that there’s simply no room for discrimination.
„Regardless of a person’s gender, age, or sexual orientation, they have the same rights and opportunities. In Lithuania, the Law on Equal Opportunities exists. It protects all the aspects of a person’s identity: social status, disability, race, language, nationality, citizenship, beliefs or views, origin, ethnic background, and religion. All these elements show just how different people are, and it is a valuable thing,“ he noted.
According to him, even though this concept seems easy to understand, examples show the opposite.
„Unfortunately, being different can cause various obstructions in a non-tolerant society. We see examples every day when people are prevented from working, studying, and getting treatment and other services equally,“ Morkevicius continued.
He also mentioned what groups of people were suffering from discrimination the most nowadays.
„According to Lithuanians, the biggest kind of discrimination in our country is related to sexual orientation, age, and being Romani. The results of the latest European Union’s Eurobarometer survey showed this. Transgendered people, gays, lesbians and bisexuals as wells as the Romani are still facing aversion – the majority of Lithuanians would not want to work with them and would be disappointed if their children or relatives were involved romantically with said people,“ Morkevicius said.
The adviser has also shared other statistical data.
„The data shows that older people, too, encounter major issues – as many as 8 out of 10 citizens are convinced that the discrimination of the elderly is a widespread problem. It manifests with difficulties at the workplace or when looking for a job and getting medical help and other services,“ he stated.
Seek help
As the Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson discrimination prevention and communication group’s adviser has noticed, in Lithuania discrimination against certain groups of people comes in many forms.
„Starting from things like not renting flats to the Romani or people of other nationalities (also to families with small children) to the issues of the disabled when it comes to the dignified use of public spaces, even WCs, which are often under lock and key,“ Morkevicius admitted.
According to him, other examples are aplenty.
„We still identify cases when women get less favourable working conditions or a lower salary; older people and transgendered persons find it more difficult to get a job; women humiliation in advertising, etc.“ he pointed out.
Morkevicius also explained what to do if you are being discriminated.
„We always encourage people who suspect that they are being discriminated to consult with the Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson. We receive complaints or requests daily regarding all kinds of situations, and our lawyers assess every one of them. The most effective way of combating discrimination is publicity. Quite often things get better after exposing unfair treatment, so it is definitely worth it to seek help,“ the adviser added.
Situation is improving, but current changes are insufficient
As Morkevicius puts it, to say why discrimination is still prevalent in society and what causes it is quite difficult. Nevertheless, he gave a few possible reasons.
„Quite often it is related to deeply-rooted misconceptions that were caused by historic wounds of the past. We used to live in a totalitarian environment that nurtured the fear of other people and different people. For many years, members of society who did not fall under the standards had been marginalized. Some, unfortunately, still are. Sure, the democratic values of the Western civilization that we’ve been upholding for several decades have a positive effect, so the situation is getting better in most cases,“ he noted.
Morkevicius explained what negative consequences were created by various types of discrimination.
„Discrimination affects the overall societal climate, creates a negative environment in which some people feel underappreciated and ignored, hurt and demeaned even though they have done nothing to merit such behaviour. A society that does not tolerate discrimination is simply greater, safer, and more pleasant to live in,“ Morkevicius insisted.
On the other hand, the discrimination tendencies in Lithuania were changing, albeit slowly, he said.
„Although when comparing Lithuania with other EU countries we usually end up at the bottom of the list, it is important to note that certain views are changing for the better. In some cases, the number of people who would be dissatisfied having to work with certain colleagues has decreased twofold. For example, in 2019 as many as 21% of residents claimed that they would not be happy if they had to work with an African American colleague, and this year the number has dropped to 12%,“ Morkevicius said.
Changes are happening in other areas as well.
„Some of them are small, but they are indicative of things improving nevertheless. For example, within four years more Lithuanians think that official documents should provide the opportunity of selecting a third gender for those who do not identify as a male or female. In 2019, 26% of Lithuanians supported this proposal, in 2023 – 35%,“ he explained.
Obviously, there is still room for improvement. Morkevicius gave some advice on what everyone should do to ensure a pleasant environment for all.
„Simply put, people should be more conscious and sensible. Both to themselves and to others. Surely, problems are inevitable, so education and prevention oriented towards all the groups of society is necessary. By paying attention to people around us and trying to understand them better, we will open up more to them. We have to create conditions for everyone to be able to equally use everything that we have built as a society and state,“ Morkevicius insisted.
Anyrestriction of human rights and liberties undoubtedly affects people’s emotional and physical well-being and quality of life. Let us not make this a norm, and, having witnessed acts of discrimination and violations of human rights, avoid being ignorant and stop these processes by contacting theOffice of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson that enforces the Law on Equal Opportunities.
