Skopje: Anti Discrimination Law 'Discriminates'

The draft law as it is “sends a message from the government that it is not prepared to treat all citizens equally”, human rights' expert Bekim Kadriu told local media.

Defending the provisions of the draft law, the first ever of its kind in the country, Labor and Social Policy Minister Xhelal Bajrami argued on Sunday that the term sexual orientation has been excluded because it is unknown to Macedonian legal practice.

“The minister’s explanation has no grounds” Kadriu told local daily Vreme. He noted that Macedonia has already ratified several international conventions which include this term, and that the existing Labor Law and Social Protection Law already mention it as a basis for filing charges.

The law should directly tackle all sorts of discrimination in the country, “in the spheres of labor and labor relations, education, science and sports, social security, housing, political parties and NGOs” Bajrami said. He added that those who feel discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation would also be protected by the draft law.

The country’s LGBT community and various human rights movements have been asking for the adoption of this law for years. They had previously expressed doubt that the government, led by the centre-right VMRO-DPMNE party, was prepared to stand in the way of the discrimination that these individuals face.

Bajrami argued that the European Commission and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe already gave the green light to the draft law.

If all goes well the country’s parliament should adopt the new provision in January of next year, the minister indicated.