Protection from discrimination
All of the rights and freedoms contained in the HRA must be protected and applied without discrimination. Article 14 requires there be no discrimination in the application of human rights on any ground, and this includes (but is not exhaustive of) grounds such as:
● sex;
● race;
● colour;
● language;
● religion;
● political or other opinion;
● national or social origin;
● association with a national minority;
● property;
● birth;
● or any other status (including, for example, sexual orientation or marital status).
Discrimination occurs when a public authority, for no objective or reasonable reason:
● treats a person less favourably than others in similar situations on the basis of a particular characteristic;
● fails to treat people differently when they are in significantly different situations;
or
● applies apparently neutral policies in a way that has a disproportionate impact on individuals or groups.