CULTURE DISCRIMINATION

Culture is very important for every individual. It shows their identity. Cultural
discrimination means when an individual is from a different background or culture and follows
his/her rules truly, but are hated by other people because of their different lifestyle and following,
and they do not respect his /her equal rights in their daily lives.

Because cultural discrimination is illegal, individuals and organizations are mandated to

provide equal access to opportunities and services, such as education, health and employment.
According to About.com, cultural discrimination results from social stereotyping and leads to
poor communication and interpersonal relationships.
UNESCO notes that cultural discrimination is commonly directed at ethnic minorities
within the society, organizations or institutions. According to Wikipedia, racial profiling by law
enforcement officers is also a form of cultural discrimination. Cultural discrimination can
manifests itself through unfair hiring, unjust firing or sexual harassment. The Civil Rights Act
was designed to protect people from all forms of discrimination. Cultural discrimination can also
occur in politics, such as when the ethnic majority of a nation rules for a long time, according to
Wikipedia.
Racial discrimination as defined in international law is "any distinction, exclusion,
restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin which has
the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an
equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social,
cultural or any other field of public life." 1
Discrimination may be distinguished from prejudice which is made up of unfavourable
or discriminatory attitudes (not actions) towards persons of different categories. Racial, sexual
and other types of discrimination can exist at the level of personal relations and individual
behaviour as well as be institutionalised as legal or administrative policy. The term
discrimination refers to modern industrial societies characterised by a generalized ideology of
equality of opportunities and rights, but which exclude from them certain categories of persons,
sometimes small minorities but often large and important ones or even majorities such as
women.2
Discrimination is the selection for unfavourable treatment of an individual or individuals
on the basis of: gender, race, colour or ethnic or national origin, religion, disability, sexual
orientation, social class, age (subject to the usual conventions on retirement), marital status or
family responsibilities, or as a result of any conditions or requirements that do not accord with
the principles of fairness and natural justice. It can take a variety of forms and may include the
following:

direct discrimination, for example, refusing to admit as students, employ or promote

individuals because they are black, female, disabled or because of their sexual orientation;
indirect discrimination, for example, setting age qualifications which discriminate against
women who have had periods away from work because of family responsibilities.
Discrimination and Harassment refer to intentional or unintentional behaviour for
which there is no reasonable justification. Such behaviour adversely affects specific individuals
or groups on the basis of characteristics defined by the 1992 B.C. Human Rights Act. These
characteristics include age, race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, political belief, religion,
marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, and unrelated
criminal convictions.
Organizational cultures, unless consciously and honestly considered and at times
challenged, will inevitably reflect to some degree wider social attitudes, values and beliefs about
difference and potentially influence the actions and behaviours that flow from them.
It is worth noting that social and cultural norms and behaviours often lag behind and can
even conflict with the law and the positive intention of operational polices, resulting in what we
sometimes describe as the 'gap' between policy and practice.

For example:
A bullying culture may persist in a team, despite the organisation's Dignity at Work
policy, but nobody reports it because they don't believe it will be taken seriously or dealt with,
in turn further undermining the policy
A member of staff overhears a patient and her visitors expressing homophobic remarks
about another patient and knows this is discriminatory, but lacks the confidence to challenge,
despite policy commitments to promoting equality of opportunity and good relations. Not
acting implies such remarks are acceptable, while their target is left feeling that while the NHS
might have glossy policies, the reality is that the staff don't take homophobia seriously
CONCLUSION
Virtually all countries in the world have national or ethnic, linguistic and religious
minorities within their populations. Many violations of civil, political, economic, social and
cultural rights have a basis in discrimination, racism and exclusion on the grounds of the ethnic,
religious, national, or racial characteristics of the victim group.
Minority issues have been on the agenda of the United Nations for more than 60 years.
Already in 1948 the General Assembly declared that the United Nations could not remain
indifferent to the fate of minorities. The 2005 World Summit Outcome reaffirmed the importance
of minority rights protection and promotion to the work of the United Nations, stating that the
promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and
linguistic minorities contribute to political and social stability and peace and enrich the cultural
diversity and heritage of society.
The main point of reference for the international community regarding the rights of
minorities is the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or

Ethnic Religious and Linguistic Minorities, adopted by the General Assembly in 1992. It
includes a list of rights to which persons belonging to minorities are entitled, including the right
to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion and to use their own
language. The Declaration reaffirms the rights of persons belonging to minorities to enjoy all
human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the principles of non-discrimination
and equality before the law. Other key principles include the protection of existence, promotion
and protection of identity, and the right to effective participation.