Implementation issues

• Author: Kamenska, Anhelita
• Pages: 84-86

84

8 IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES

8.1 Dissemination of information, dialogue with NGOs and be tween social

partners

a) Dissemination of information about legal protection against discrimination (Article

10 Directive 2000/43 and Article 12 Directive 2000/78)

There has been limited dissemination of information about legal protection against

discrimination in the last decade by state bodies such as the Ombudsman’s Office, the

Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Welfare. Although the Stat e Labour Inspectorate

has continued to organise inform ative seminars on the Labour Law, th ese have

concentrated on issues of non-discrimination in only a limited way.

b) Measures to encourage dialog ue with NGOs with a view to promoting the principle

of equal treatment (Article 12 Directive 2000/43 and Article 14 Directive 2000/78)

Since 2014, a public agency, the Society Integration Fund, has conducted a range of

projects in cooperation with NGOs aimed at promoting diversity and combating

discrimination. The projects have been implemented throug h the PROGRESS 2007-2013

programme of the European Union and have included training for judges, a

comprehensive Roma survey, a poster campaign and video spots challenging

discrimination on different grounds. 274

In 2017, SIF continued to implement the ‘Diversity Promot ion’ project, which is funded

by the European Social Fund. Two research reports were published aimed at developing

awareness-raising activities about social inclusion and discrimination prevention, the

provision of support services to per sons at risk of social exclusion and discrim ination and

the development of an anti-discrimination communication campaign.275 In November

2017, in cooperation with several partn ers, SIF started a social campaign against

discrimination in the labour market, urging Latvian employers to sel ect employees

according to their professional abilities and not according to age, ethnic affiliation,

gender, sexual ori entation or other cri teria not connect ed to knowledge a nd

experience. 276 In 2018, an awareness-raising campaign and training activities for

employers on equality and diversity issues (2018-2022) undertaken by the Society

Integration Fund focused on asylum seekers and refugees.277

c) Measures to promote dia logue between social partn ers to give effect to the principle

of equal treatment withi n workplace practices, codes of pract ice, workforce

monitoring (Article 11 Directive 2000/43 and Article 13 Directive 2000/78)

274 Society Integration Fund (2015), ‘Different people. Different Experience. One Latvia II’, see

http://www.sif.gov.lv/index.php?searchword= Progress&ordering=&searchphrase=all&Itemid=198&optio n=c

om_search&lang=lv.

275 SIA "Safege Baltija", SIA "Comperio", SIA "Prospero" (2017), Izptes ziojums par pašreizj o sabiedrbas

izpratnes un informtbas lmeni un efektvkajiem informcijas sniegša nas mehnismiem,

http://www.sif.gov.lv/images/files/nodevum i/ESF_Da%C5%BE%C4%81d%C4%ABbas/Izpetes_zinojums_p

ar_sabiedribu.pdf.

276 Society Integration Fund (2017), ‘Study: One-half of employers are not ready to employ people with chronic

illness or disability and former prisoners’, 15.11.2017 , available at:

http://www.sif.gov.lv/index.php?option=com_co ntent&view=article&id=10326%3APetijums-Puse-darba-

deveju-nav-gatavi-nodarbinat-cilvekus-ar-hroniskam-slimibam-vai-invaliditati-un-bijuso s-

ieslodzitos&catid=14%3AJaunumi&Itemid=186&la ng=lv.

277 Society Integration Fund (2018), Openess is a Value (‘Atvrtba ir vrtba), available at:

http://www.sif.gov.lv/index.php?option=com_co ntent&view=article&id=10454%3AAtvertiba-ir-

vertiba&catid=14%3AJaunumi&Itemid=186&lang=lv.