Your Rights

Welcome to the Your Rights Service.

When you experience discrimination, you can do something about it.

What does the Your Rights Service do?

The Your Rights Service is an information service run by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.

We are here to give you information about your rights under equality and human rights law in Ireland.

We can show you some options you may have if you believe that you have experienced discrimination, or that your rights have been breached.

Does the Your Rights Service provide legal advice?

No.

The Your Rights Service can only provide you with information. We cannot give you legal advice or comment on any individual case.

This means that we can tell you what the law says, but we cannot tell you how the law applies to your situation, or what you should do next.

If you think you need legal advice, you should talk to a solicitor, who can advise you.

Disclaimer

The information provided by the Your Rights Service, including the information on this website, is provided for information purposes only.

It does not constitute a legal analysis of any individual’s particular situation.

We try to ensure that the information we provide is accurate and up to date. However, it is not a legal interpretation of the law and should not be relied on as legal advice.

For any professional or legal advice, all individuals should consult a suitably qualified person.

*Please note that we are unable to facilitate drop-in queries at our offices. Meeting with a staff member in-person is by appointment only.*

Equality law and protection against discrimination

Here you will find information about the laws that protect you against discrimination in Ireland.

We answer the following questions:

• What is discrimination?
• What are the different types of discrimination?
• What are the protected grounds under Irish law?
• Which laws protect you from discrimination in relation to work?
• Which laws protect you from discrimination when accessing goods or services? This includes in relation to housing and education.
• Which law protects you from discrimination when you are entering, or inside a pub, or somewhere else that has a license to sell alcohol?
• What can you do if you believe you have experienced discrimination?

What is discrimination?

Discrimination is when someone treats you worse or ‘less favourably’ than another person is, has been, or would be treated, in a similar situation, because you fall under the ‘protected grounds’.

What are the different types of discrimination?

You can experience discrimination in four different ways:

Direct discrimination

Where someone treats you less favourably than another person in a similar situation because of a different personal characteristic or circumstance that falls under the protected grounds.

Indirect discrimination

Where a seemingly neutral system or policy disadvantages you because of a personal characteristic or circumstance that falls under the protected grounds.

Discrimination by imputation

Where someone treats you less favourably than another person in a similar situation because someone has incorrectly assumed (‘imputed’) that you fall under the protected grounds.

Discrimination by association

Where someone treats you less favourably than another person in a similar situation because of your connection, relationship or association with someone who falls under the protected grounds.

What are the protected grounds?

Under Irish law, the protected grounds are:

Gender (male, female, transgender or nonbinary)

If someone treats you less favourably because you are a different gender to someone else.

Civil status (single, married, separated, divorced, widowed or in a civil partnership)

If someone treats you less favourably because you have a different civil status to someone else.

Family status (a pregnant person, a parent, an acting parent of a child, or a carer of a person with a disability who requires continued care)

If someone treats you less favourably because you have a different family status to someone else.

(Note: some situations falling under this ground may also fall under the gender ground.)

Sexual orientation (heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual orientation)

If someone treats you less favourably because you have a different sexual orientation to someone else.

Age (only applies to those who are aged eighteen years and over)

If someone treats you less favourably because you are older or younger than someone else and it is without a good reason (‘objective justification’).

(Note: this ground does not cover alleged discrimination against children in schools.)

Religious belief (including religious background and those who have no belief)

If someone treats you less favourably because you have a different religion to someone else, or, for example, because you do not have a religion and someone else does.

Membership of the Traveller community

If someone treats you less favourably because you are a member of the Traveller community and someone else is not.

Race (skin colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin)

If someone treats you less favourably because you have a different skin colour, nationality or ethnicity to someone else.

Disability (intellectual, mental and/or physical disability)

If someone treats you less favourably because you have a disability and someone else has a different disability or does not have a disability.

Under the disability ground, please also see information on disability and reasonable accommodation.

If you are trying to access housing or accommodation, there is one extra protected ground:

Housing assistance (including housing assistance payment (HAP), rent supplement or another social welfare payment)

If someone treats you less favourably because you are receiving rent supplement, housing assistance payment (HAP), or another type of social welfare payment and someone else is not.