Discrimination is one of the greatest obstacles to realizing rights and fulfilling one\u2019s full potential. This is why equality is not only a fundamental value enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia, but also one of the core principles of the European Union.<\/p>\n
To promote equality in rights and dignity for every person, regardless of their personal characteristics, Zero Discrimination Day is observed globally each year on 1 March.<\/p>\n
To contribute to raising awareness and marking this day, we present a brief overview of common myths about discrimination that we encounter in our role as the central body for combating discrimination in Croatia.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Myth: Every injustice is discrimination<\/strong> The Anti-Discrimination Act<\/a> defines what constitutes discrimination. In the simplest terms, discrimination means treating a person less favourably than another in a<\/strong> comparable situation<\/strong> based on one or more prohibited grounds<\/strong> listed in the Act (direct discrimination).<\/p>\n There are 17 such grounds<\/strong>: race or ethnic origin or skin colour; sex; language; age; political or other opinion; property; education; national or social origin; trade union membership; disability; social status; marital or family status; health status; genetic heritage; religion; gender identity and expression; and sexual orientation.<\/strong><\/p>\n For example, refusing to hire a Roma individual solely because of their ethnicity<\/strong>, or dismissing an employee for joining a trade union or political party<\/strong>, constitutes discrimination. But if a landlord refuses to rent to tenants with pets, this does not fall under the scope of the Act, as it is not one of the prescribed grounds.<\/p>\n Discrimination also includes:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Myth: Discrimination is not prohibited by law \u2013 it\u2019s a matter of personal worldview<\/strong>False. Discrimination is explicitly prohibited <\/strong>by the Anti-Discrimination Act, which has been in force since 2008. It is also prohibited under the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia<\/strong>, and under European and international law.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Myth: Only the state and public sector can discriminate; private employers can choose whom they want to hire or serve<\/strong>Incorrect. Many believe only public authorities can be liable for discrimination, but this is not the case. Media, private companies, and individuals may all be held accountable.<\/p>\n In fact, research shows that public bodies<\/strong> \u2013 ministries, state agencies, local and regional authorities, and institutions exercising public powers (such as hospitals, schools, the Croatian Health Insurance Fund or the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute) \u2013 are most frequently responsible for discrimination. However, private entities and individuals<\/strong> may also engage in discriminatory conduct.<\/p>\n Myth: Private employers have full discretion over whom to hire<\/strong> This means employers must not select or reject candidates based on personal characteristics <\/strong>covered under the Anti-Discrimination Act. These include race or ethnic origin, skin colour, sex, language, age, political or other opinion, property status, education, national or social origin, trade union membership, disability, social status, marital or family status, health status, genetic heritage, religion, gender identity and expression, and sexual orientation.<\/p>\n Examples<\/strong> of discrimination in employment include an employer stating they do not wish to hire individuals of a particular ethnicity, race, or religion, or requiring candidates to own their own computer (property status), or rejecting someone because of their faith.<\/p>\n The only lawful basis for selection must be whether a candidate possesses the knowledge and skills required for the job\u2014not their personal characteristics.<\/p>\n The latest data on discrimination in Croatia\u2014with a focus on discrimination in employment and labour, age, education, economic status, racial or ethnic origin, and religion\u2014will be presented in the Ombudswoman\u2019s 2023 Annual Report<\/em>, currently in preparation. This will include an overview of relevant case law and the most recent statistical data, along with recommendations for combating discrimination.<\/p>\n The Ombudswoman\u2019s survey on public attitudes and awareness of discrimination and its manifestations is available [here<\/a>], and the Guide to Recognizing Discrimination<\/em> is available [here<\/a>].If you believe you have been discriminated against, you may submit a complaint to the Ombudswoman. Learn how [here<\/a>].<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Discrimination is one of the greatest obstacles to realizing rights and fulfilling one\u2019s full potential. This is why equality is not only a fundamental value enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia, but also one of the core principles of the European Union. To promote equality in rights and dignity for every person, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":20884,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[169],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ombudsman.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ombudsman.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ombudsman.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ombudsman.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ombudsman.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21315"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ombudsman.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22672,"href":"https:\/\/www.ombudsman.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21315\/revisions\/22672"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ombudsman.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ombudsman.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ombudsman.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ombudsman.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nIn public discourse, the terms injustice and discrimination are often used interchangeably, but these two are not the same. While every act of discrimination is unjust, not every injustice qualifies as discrimination.<\/p>\n\n
\nThis is not entirely accurate. Regardless of whether a company is privately owned, the prohibition of discrimination applies equally to the private sector and to individuals.<\/p>\n