Germany: More people than ever before are making inquiries about discrimination

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Anti-discrimination commissioner Ferda Ataman: "We have significantly more inquiries than we can receive"

Photo: Michael Kappeler / dpa

More people than ever before have contacted the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency to request advice. This is stated in the institution's annual report. According to this, there were 8800 inquiries last year. This is 14 percent more than in the previous year and almost twice as many as in 2019.

"More and more people do not accept discrimination. This is clearly demonstrated by the figures. We have significantly more inquiries than we can receive," said Ferda Ataman, Federal Commissioner for Anti-Discrimination and head of the office. However, it assumes a large number of discriminations that would never be reported.

Most often, people turned to the counseling center for racial discrimination. 43 percent of the inquiries related to these incidents. 27 per cent of the cases involved discrimination on the basis of disability and 21 per cent on the basis of gender. One in ten questions related to age discrimination.

Most of those seeking advice reported discrimination in the labour market, around 27 percent. 20 percent of people were discriminated against in so-called everyday business, for example when looking for a place to live, but also when going to restaurants, shopping or on buses and trains.

Since 2006, the Anti-Discrimination Agency has been advising those affected; It is based on the General Equal Treatment Act. It is about discrimination on racial, ethnic, gender or religious grounds. The body also obtains opinions from the opposing party and mediates amicable settlements. The total number of inquiries to the Anti-Discrimination Agency has increased continuously over the years.

The Commissioner reiterated her call for the Equal Treatment Act to be reformed. It is the weakest in Europe. Countries such as Serbia, but also France, Great Britain, Northern Ireland or the Scandinavian countries are further along. No country in the EU has "fewer state competences to help people with discrimination than Germany".

Ataman also wants to keep an eye on discrimination by artificial intelligence. In order to strengthen liberal democracy, Ataman advised the traffic light coalition not to turn every bill into a culture war.

fin/dpa