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Possibilities for a Victim of Discrimination to act Using Laws, Counter-measures and More.

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As a victim of discrimination in the United States, there are a number of laws in existence which can be invoked for stopping the discrimination and obtaining compensation for hardship that was undergone.

One of the best known of these is the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Among other things, the Act prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of color, race, sex, religion or national origin.

Another act that is often cited is the Americans with Disabilities Act, brought in to make it unlawful to discriminate in either the private or the public sector (local or state government) against people with disabilities.

Victims still have to produce sufficient evidence however that discrimination has effectively happened.

One of the initial questions that often crops up in a victim’s mind is whether it is worth the effort in declaring that discrimination has occurred and in trying to see justice done.

While it is important to stop discrimination as early as possible and to prevent any other outbreaks, it is also necessary to take a moment to assess the evidence to hand and the possible outcomes of the action.

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The Requirement for Proof of Discrimination

For a victim of discrimination in cases involving direct discrimination, the evidence may be as simple as comparing two pay-slips, or having a credible witness who can attest to discrimination having taken place.

Cases of indirect discrimination may be more difficult for victims to prove.

Because indirect discrimination is often hidden behind general policies that seemingly apply to people in general, or is disguised in case by case treatment, real evidence of discrimination may not be available until several victims have suffered related discrimination.

In some cases, victims have used or attempted to use other methods to halt discrimination.

Some of these involve contacting the news media or using internet sites to present their side of the story.

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Carrying a Bigger Stick

However, for a victim of discrimination without legal knowledge or support, such a course of action is risky to say the least.

Others have resolved the problem effectively by having an attorney draft a letter to the offending party, to explain that the victim will take further action unless the discrimination stops.

Rightly or wrongly, the threat of legal action with the implication that the victim has lined up the necessary legal firepower often convinces those accused of discrimination to declare that no discrimination will take place further to the letter being received.

Discrimination still goes on, and victims of discrimination can be found in situations ranging from situations involving a few people to those concerning multi-billion dollar corporations and national disasters.

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For Each Case the Appropriate Law

The hurricane rebuilding program after Hurricanes Rita and Katrina reputedly discriminated against more than 20,000 homeowners.

The grounds for suing for discrimination were that these homeowners, as African Americans, were receiving smaller rebuilding grants to repair the damage to their homes.

However, as the money was to serve for repair and rebuilding, but was allocated on the basis of the real estate value, black people considered themselves to be short-changed in the deal.

As an example of the multitude of laws now in operation to help any victim of discrimination, the lawsuit cited neither of the laws described above, but instead the federal Fair Housing Act.

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