National origin discrimination

Federal employment laws prohibit discrimination based on the employee's national origin, religion, disability, sex, family status, or color. National origin discrimination specifically addresses the unlawful discrimination against a worker because their family is from another country, they participate in certain customs of a group, or they are married to a person with a specific national origin.

What if I suffer national origin discrimination?

National origin discrimination is less likely to be reported than other types of discrimination because often the victims are afraid to complain to the Federal Government and they may be unsure of their legal rights.

The Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department has established a National Origin Working Group to combat this type of discrimination and to help immigrant groups understand their legal rights. If you have experienced any discrimination due to your origin you can find information about your legal rights at http://www.usdoj.gov/crt.

Rights against discrimination protected

Protections against national origin discrimination exist in education, employment, housing, lending, public accommodations, law enforcement, and voting. If there is a pattern or practice of discrimination in any of these areas the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department may investigate. After the investigation, if there has been violence or any other unlawful activity, the accused may face prosecution from the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division.

Steps to take to fight national origin discrimination

One of the most common places individuals face discrimination is at work. For example, you may be the victim of racial slurs or your employer may fail to promote members of certain races. Although it can be tough to gather enough evidence to prove your case, the first step is to take notes and right down employment decisions or inappropriate comments.

Next, talk to other employees and find out if they have encountered similar issues or heard about any behaviors or actions which could be considered discriminatory. Talk to management and file a complaint. In most companies this can be done through the human resources department. Solving the problem of discrimination may be as simple as notifying someone about the problem, allowing them to investigate, and waiting for them to find and implement a solution.

Assuming the issue is pervasive and severe and your employer does not take the issues seriously or dismisses your complaint, you may have to contact a government agency such as the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Next, you can consider filing a lawsuit, although employment laws will require you to first file your complaint with the EEOC or the proper state agency.