The Anti-discrimination Law offers a legal framework that helps combat:

• refusals to hire or dismissals, refusals to rent, regulatory provisions excluding homosexuals (couples): direct or indirect discrimination;
• incitement to hatred, violence and discrimination: hate speech;
• various types of violence, physical and verbal aggression, bullying at school, at the workplace, during sports, on the internet and social media: hate crimes.

What does Unia do?

Unia combats homophobia and, more broadly, all expressions of discrimination, rejection, exclusion, hate or violence, based on sexual orientation by:

• advising and supporting discriminated persons;
• informing everyone of their rights (anti-discrimination legislation);
• providing training for the police and the public prosecutor’s office;
• organising awareness-raising campaigns, especially during the International Day Against Homophobia (17 May);
• consulting with associations;
• establishing reports and studies and providing authorities with recommendations;
• gathering all data in Belgium on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in a database.

If you are discriminated against or are witness to discrimination based on your gender identity or gender expression, Unia can put you in touch with the Institute for the Equality of Women and Men.