Public Discussion On Age Discrimination
The Ministry of Youth, Families and Sports, through the Department of Human Affairs and the Human Rights Commission, will be holding a public discussion on Wednesday, September 19, at 6pm, at the Cathedral Hall in Hamilton, to gauge the sentiments of the public as it relates discrimination based on age.
A statement said: “The Government is clear that age discrimination has no place in Bermuda and, in its effort to fulfil its promise to “eliminate age discrimination”, the Government is actively consulting with a number of stakeholders, including the public, regarding amendments to the Human Rights Act to provide protection against age discrimination. By adding age as a protected ground in the Act persons would be protected from discriminatory practices based on age.
“During the public discussion participants will have an opportunity to express their views on the potential for unfair treatment and the range of human rights issues faced by persons because of their age.
“Other representatives in attendance will include the National Office for Seniors and Physically Challenged, the Department of Labour, the Pension Commission, the Department of Social Insurance and the Department of Health to discuss a range of age related topics including the retirement age and the potential impact that legislative changes may have on a person’s pension and health insurance.”
The event is free and all are welcome to attend.
“Age discrimination complaints in the workplace have increased and during these difficult economic times, persons begin to question whether a job loss or failure-to-hire could be attributable to their age” explained Michelle Scott-Outerbridge, Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission. “In cases of discrimination generally, there isn’t always a smoking gun and employees usually need to compile anecdotal information to support their allegation.
“As it relates to age, there are instances where, in the case of a company making a number of layoffs, there may be statistical evidence to show that the layoffs or redundancies fall disproportionately on older workers. Another manifestation of age discrimination is in ‘failure-to-hire’ cases, but again, it is often difficult to prove discrimination if there is no direct evidence to support the claim.”
Persons who feel they may be a victim of age discrimination are encouraged to contact the Human Rights Commission with their complaints, which are then recorded for statistical purposes evidencing unfair treatment in Bermuda.
For more information please contact the Human Rights Commission at 295-5859 or email humanrights@gov.bm.
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