You have the right to complain if you think you have been discriminated against.
In this section, you will find information about where and how to submit a complaint about discrimination in Slovenia.
Before you make a formal complaint, it is important to understand what you want to achieve. If your rights have been violated, you are entitled to a remedy, which can take many forms like putting a stop to the discrimination, compensation, public publishing of the court’s judgement etc. Before you decide to complain, it is important to understand which form of remedy you are willing to receive.
Informal complaint
Sometimes it is better to try to resolve the problem informally first. You can raise the issue with your employer, educational institution, service provider, etc., depending of course, on where you have experienced the discrimination. This may save the time and costs of legal proceedings. If you have not received any response, or the response was not satisfactory, you may decide to proceed with a formal complaint.
Formal complaints to state institutions and courts
Sometimes it is better to start with a complaint to the state institutions dealing with discrimination in general or which have control over a particular sector. There are various state institutions that have the task of overseeing activities in different sectors, such as health, education, the provision of goods and services etc.
Where you feel that you have been unfairly discriminated against by a state institution or by a private entity, you may also complain to the Advocate of the Principle of Equality by submitting an application. The Advocate can evaluate whether discrimination has occurred to you and can order the discriminatory practice to stop. The Advocate also offers free counselling on discrimination.
The Advocate may also help you in the drawing up the complaint to the Civil Court or even represent you in front of the Court.
important If you choose to complain to these specialized authorities first, you must be careful not to miss procedural deadlines for filing the complaint in court, which in some cases is the only authority that can decisively resolve your discrimination case and award compensation.
Minor offences
In accordance with the Protection Against Discrimination Act, an administrative fine of 3000 to 30'000700 euros may be imposed on a private entity for a violation of the prohibition of discrimination. An individual may be fined in the amount of 250 to 3000 euros for a violation of the prohibition of discrimination, depending on the severity of the minor offence. Per example, in employment, such a fine may be imposed by the State Labour Inspectorate; in other fields, it may be imposed by the inspectorate that is responsible for inspecting the area of discrimination in each administrative field judge of a district court.
Criminal sanctions
Discrimination is punishable under the Slovenian Criminal Code if it has caused grave consequences. It is also more severely punishable under the Criminal Code if such discrimination was committed by a state official, a responsible employee of a company, or a group of persons or in using an automated data processing system. In such case, you should submit a complaint to the State Police or the State Prosecution.
Complaints to international human rights bodies
If you think that the violation of your rights has not been remedied by Slovenian institutions or courts, you should submit a complaint to international and European institutions, such as the European Court of Human Rights or the UN Human Rights Committee.
Read more about the complaint procedures: