Skopje, 24 October 2023 (MIA) – Human rights aren’t valid just for a certain group of citizens, but for everyone without exception, said Minister of Labor and Social Policy Jovanka Trenchevska in her address Tuesday at a panel discussion on tackling discrimination as part of the annual United Nations conference “Freedom, Equality and Justice for All”.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, the goal of the conference is to come up with better ways of tackling discrimination, misinformation, disinformation, fake news and hate speech by promoting dialogue between representatives of Parliament; Government; human rights institutions; academic community; media workers; civil society; UN and partners that are supporting the country on its accelerated progress towards the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals and the EU accession.

Trenchevska spoke about the responsibilities of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, stressing that equality, non-discrimination and social justice are its priorities. 

“As a Ministry responsible for an improved quality of life and well-being of the citizens we adopted the Law on Prevention and Protection from Discrimination, after all, it is the legal framework that determines the direction in which social awareness will develop. This Law forbids any discrimination in the workplace, because every citizen of our country has the right to be economically independent and to lead their lives as they see fit. It also bans discrimination in education, science and sport, social protection, housing, public and media information, access to goods and services,” said Trenchevska.

The Minister emphasized that raising awareness and fostering a culture of respect from an early age are the main solutions to the challenge of discrimination.

“Still, I believe, the key solution lies in working with children from an early age, i.e., changing the way we bring them up. I am not referring to a change in our traditional values, nor an upbringing which goes against the family values, but an upbringing that leads to acceptance, support and equality,” said Trenchevska.

Photo: Ministry of Labor and Social Policy