The CET, which has been promoting, analysing and monitoring equal treatment in Luxembourg since 2006, last year dealt with some 245 complaints. 60 of these cases referred to discrimination based on race or ethnic origin and, as CET president Patrick Hurst pointed out, this was the first time that the most recurring ground of discrimination was not disability, but ethnicity and skin colour.
Hurst referred to a study on racism and ethno-racial discrimination in Luxembourg conducted by the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (Liser) together with intercultural institute Cefis, which was presented by Cahen (DP) in early March. The study stressed the importance of services, such as the CET, as a point of contact for people who are victims of racial discrimination.
But despite the damning findings of the study and the new evidence that discrimination based on ethnicity and skin colour is on the rise, the government has eschewed calls for a specific national action plan on racism.
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Of the other cases, 48 featured discrimination based on disability, 43 on sex, 10 on age, 9 on sexual orientation and 9 on religion. Some 16 cases were classified as multiple discrimination and 50 were classified as “other”.
The CET managed to resolve 124 cases, with a further 19 still pending. In 55 cases the applicants withdrew the charges, while the CET found that in 41 cases there was no way to prove any form of discrimination. In six cases, the authorities were deemed to have no right to intervene.
The CET also systematically analysed recruitment advertising and identified 82 job ads that did not respect equal treatment--78 offers discriminated on the basis of sex, three on the basis of age and sex and one on the basis of age.