Discrimination

Is treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or

thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing is perceived to
belong to rather than on individual merit. This includes treatment of an individual or group,
based on their actual or perceived membership in a certain group or social category, "in a
way that is worse than the way people are usually treated.

Common reasons that people are discriminated against include:

Their sex or gender
If they have any kind of disability
Their race
Their age

Discrimination is often linked with bullying and harassment (when someone behaves in a
way that is intended to disturb or upset another person). Its actually against the law to be
discriminated against in a lot of areas of public life including in the workplace, education,
accommodation, government services, and when accessing goods, services and facilities.

Signs of discrimination
There are many different signs and actions that can indicate discrimination may be taking
place. Some examples include:
Someone saying hurtful things or attacking you repeatedly
Being made fun of
Being excluded or left out
Being made to feel inferior because of someones comments, remarks or actions
Having a group of people gang up on you
Being made to do hurtful or inappropriate things
Being threatened
Finding yourself having to defend who you are and what you believe against
stereotypes and untrue claims

Basically if youre being made to feel uncomfortable, are offended by someones

comments/actions, and/or feel judged because of particular characteristics, then someone
could be discriminating against you.

What to do if you think youre being discriminated against

If you do feel like youre being discriminated against, there are things you can do to
address it:

Try and take action yourself. Explain to the person involved that their behaviour is
offending you or making you uncomfortable.

Keep a diary. Document everything that has happened, including any attempts that
youve made to address or resolve the situation.

Get informed. Formal processes for handling issues of discrimination can be very
different depending on where and when the discrimination has occurred/is occurring.
Check out the Guatemalan Human Rights Commissions website for information on your
rights and your options.