Evaluating the Anti-discrimination Law in the Republic of Cyprus: A Critical Reflection

This paper sets out to critically evaluate the situation as regards the current state of affairs on combating discrimination in Cyprus. It concentrates primarily on the legal aspects of the struggle to put an end to discriminatory ideologies, policies, practices and prejudices on all grounds recognised by the EU antidiscrimination acquis apart from gender, the grounds of race or ethnic origin, religion, age, disability and sexual orientation. Moreover, it also examines other grounds recognised by the constitution and international conventions but the legislative measures to counter gender discrimination are dealt with foremost because they provide the pivotal dimension which created the groundwork for anti-discrimination in those other fields. More often than not legislative measures are treated separately from other grounds but if a comprehensive picture of the anti-discrimination framework is to be understood, then an integral approach must be taken to view the system operating as a whole; legal development in one ground or field both influences and has a knock-on-effect on the other.