He Webinar was held on September 12th and its objective was to reflect on the importance of preventing and eliminating discrimination against psychosocial diversity in the workplace based on the legal framework that is applied and developed in Mexico.

It was highlighted that this webinar arises as part of the Council's initiatives to prevent and eliminate discrimination in Mexico City on issues of prevention and elimination of labor discrimination.

That from this technical secretariat there is a commitment to work hand in hand with the private sector of Mexico City to generate joint actions that help take action against discrimination in other spaces similar to this one.

The reason: because discrimination at work has become visible as one of the main reasons for discrimination in Mexico City. Data from the service area reveal that 70% of the discrimination cases that reach this institution are related to the private sector and are linked to the field and labor law. Data from the Discrimination Survey in Mexico City also show that people have been discriminated against at work.

The Technical Secretariat has promoted actions in coordination with companies that agree with equal treatment, becoming a platform for linking with companies in Mexico City on issues of diversity and labor inclusion.

Specialized workshops have been held, specifically these biannual webinar seminars, which seek to make discrimination visible, but above all to limit it to certain problems and certain priority groups, highlighting the importance of exposing the specificity of how people with disabilities experience discrimination and also knowing how to include people with various disabilities and historically discriminated groups in the workplace.

Discrimination was briefly explained, as it is considered that everyone should have the same concept about this problem, in terms of what the law says to prevent and eliminate discrimination in Mexico City.

It was stressed that discrimination is the denial, exclusion, impairment, impediment or restriction of one or more of the human rights of individuals, groups and communities.

An act of discrimination may be intentional or unintentional, but it has the effect of nullifying or damaging the exercise of a fundamental right to freedom. It is a differentiated treatment that is not justified, so it is important to highlight it because in recent years we have seen how, from the public and private spheres, there are differentiated treatments towards priority attention groups.

It was clarified that there are differential treatments that can be justified if they are reasonable, proportional and objective, and are therefore not considered discrimination.

But on the other hand, especially in the workplace, which is the topic of the day, there are unjustified forms of differential treatment, such as denying a woman who is a mother a promotion or advancement at work. 

Let's imagine a management or decision-making position that is denied to a woman, even if she has all the capabilities, because there is a belief that since she is a mother she will not give the same time or importance to that position, despite the fact that there are plenty of examples of women who are mothers and who carry out their work in the workplace satisfactorily.

Differential treatment without reasonable justification and which is an act of clear discrimination, is the stereotype that people with disabilities cannot perform well in the workplace.

There are also prejudices among certain groups that promote differential treatment related to their ethnic origin, skin tone, sexual orientation, and gender identity. These are groups that we have surely heard about in other spaces and that affect historically discriminated groups.

Another characteristic to identify an act of discrimination has to do with the affectation or violation of a human right, that is, a differential treatment that not only harms the person, but also prevents him or her from exercising a right. For example, exercising the right to work and denying or hindering access to or permanence in a job.

Other examples of discriminatory treatment include access to health and education, among others.

It is important to identify these elements in order to detect when an act of discrimination against people is taking place in the workplace. Therefore, it is a priority for those who work in human resources teams or in internal mechanisms for identifying cases against harassment, violence and discrimination to be a fundamental part of detecting these discriminatory nuances, because today's society has certain stereotypes and prejudices and they do not only originate individually, but acts of discrimination have social and structural roots.