Record High of Discrimination Inquiries at the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency in 2024
Apex of Sought-After Individuals Due to Discrimination - Maximum Reached: Consultant Count Exceeded
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More than 11,400 individuals sought assistance from the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency in 2024,experiencing discrimination - the highest number ever recorded in the agency's history. The alarming statistic was presented in the annual report by Federal Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Ferda Ataman in Berlin this year.
In her address, Ataman emphasized that the total number of inquiries more than doubled since the pre-Covid year of 2019, when only slightly over 4,200 people reached out for help. Notably, inquiries in 2023 stood at around 10,800.
The sad story behind the numbers
- A significant 43% of the inquiries were related to racial discrimination incidents, such as the heart-wrenching experience of a job-seeker in Wuppertal, who spent months searching for an apartment without a single viewing invitation. When his friend with a common German name, Stefan, applied for the same apartment and was immediately invited, the landlord already had a tenant lined up, none other than Mahmoud.
- A staggering 27% of cases involved instances of disadvantage based on disability or chronic illness. Females were found to be particularly affected by gender-based discrimination, with 24% of the cases, an alarming trend that continues to rise.
Where does the discrimination occur?
The majority of discriminatory incidents were reported to have taken place in the workplace (33%). This includes job searches and in the actual workplace.
The need for change
More than 1,200 people complained about instances of discrimination by state institutions, such as authorities, offices, and the police. However, these situations do not fall under the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG), leading Ataman to demand urgent reforms to this law. Currently, individuals are "better protected from discrimination in a restaurant than at the office."
Of the 11,405 inquiries the agency received last year, only slightly more than 9,000 cases fell under the AGG. The remaining inquiries did not receive the protection provided by this law, with Ataman explaining that "not every unequal treatment is prohibited here."
The AGG currently protects against discrimination based on factors such as age, disability, gender, religion, sexual identity, and "race" or "ethnic origin." However, Ataman and other commissioners, including Anti-Semitism Commissioner Felix Klein, have advocated for the expansion of the law to protect individuals who face discrimination due to their citizenship.
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- The record high of discrimination inquiries at the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency in 2024, as stated in the annual report, underscores the need for a review and potential amendments in both community policy and employment policy, to better address the rising cases of discrimination in various sectors, including politics and general news.
- As the fight against discrimination is ongoing, it is crucial for the development of effective policy-and-legislation that addresses the recently highlighted issues, such as the increasing number of cases involving gender-based discrimination, racial discrimination, and disadvantage based on disability or chronic illness, as seen in the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency's annual report.
