Discriminatory abuse

Discriminatory abuse is when a person is treated unfairly, bullied, or abused because of a particular characteristic.

It is against the law to discriminate against someone because of:

• age
• disability
• gender reassignment
• marriage and civil partnership
• pregnancy and maternity
• race
• religion or belief
• sex
• sexual orientation

Under the Equality Act 2010, these are called ‘protected characteristics’. The Equality Act 2010 applies to England, Scotland and Wales. Scotland and Wales also have additional enhancements. In Northern Ireland, the same characteristics are covered but by multiple separate laws, rather than a single Act.

Discriminatory abuse can include:

• unequal treatment
• verbal abuse, derogatory remarks or inappropriate use of language related to a protected characteristic
• physical abuse or emotional abuse based on a protected characteristic
• denying access to communication aids, not allowing access to an interpreter etc.
• harassment or deliberate exclusion on the grounds of a protected characteristic
• denying basic rights to healthcare, education, employment and criminal justice relating to a protected characteristic
• substandard service provision relating to a protected characteristic 

Hate crime

Hate crime is any incident which constitutes a criminal offence perceived by the victim or any other person as being motivated by prejudice, discrimination or hate towards a person based on certain characteristics. The characteristics covered vary slightly between the laws in the four nations of the UK. If you are concerned about the way you or somebody else is being treated, always talk to your Safeguarding Lead.