WORLD Policy Analysis Center

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Does legislation explicitly prohibit discriminatory workplace harassment on the basis of sexual orientation?

The term “sexual orientation” includes references to ‘sexual preference’ and ‘homosexuality’. For the purposes of this variable, the term “sexual orientation” captures all of these definitions.
Discriminatory harassment includes explicit legislative prohibitions against harassment at the workplace.
No prohibition means that legislation does not take an explicit approach to prohibiting discriminatory harassment on the basis of sexual orientation. This does not mean that legislation denies this guarantee.
General prohibition of harassment means that legislation prohibits discriminatory harassment generally— for example, by prohibiting discrimination based on “any status” or stating no worker may be discriminated against. This general prohibition is not specifically extended on the basis of sexual orientation.
Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation broadly protects individuals from workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, but does not explicitly address workplace harassment. These broad prohibitions use language that could extend prohibition of discrimination across any aspect of work.
Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition means that legislation either extends: a) an explicit prohibition of discriminatory harassment on the basis of sexual orientation, or b) extends a broad prohibition of workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation alongside a general prohibition of discriminatory harassment to all workers.

Countries

Afghanistan - No prohibition

Angola - No prohibition

Antigua and Barbuda - No prohibition

Armenia - No prohibition

Azerbaijan - No prohibition

Bahamas - No prohibition

Bahrain - No prohibition

Bangladesh - No prohibition

Belarus - No prohibition

Belize - No prohibition

Benin - No prohibition

Bhutan - No prohibition

Botswana - No prohibition

Brazil - No prohibition

Brunei - No prohibition

Burkina Faso - No prohibition

Cameroon - No prohibition

Central African Republic - No prohibition

Chad - No prohibition

China - No prohibition

Republic of the Congo - No prohibition

Dominica - No prohibition

Dominican Republic - No prohibition

Egypt - No prohibition

Eritrea - No prohibition

Ethiopia - No prohibition

The Gambia - No prohibition

Ghana - No prohibition

Greenland - No prohibition

Grenada - No prohibition

Guatemala - No prohibition

Guyana - No prohibition

Haiti - No prohibition

India - No prohibition

Indonesia - No prohibition

Iran - No prohibition

Israel - No prohibition

Jamaica - No prohibition

Japan - No prohibition

Jordan - No prohibition

Kazakhstan - No prohibition

Kenya - No prohibition

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No prohibition

Republic of Korea - No prohibition

Kuwait - No prohibition

Kyrgyzstan - No prohibition

Laos - No prohibition

Lebanon - No prohibition

Lesotho - No prohibition

Libya - No prohibition

Liechtenstein - No prohibition

Madagascar - No prohibition

Malawi - No prohibition

Malaysia - No prohibition

Maldives - No prohibition

Mali - No prohibition

Marshall Islands - No prohibition

Mauritania - No prohibition

Micronesia, Federated States of - No prohibition

Morocco - No prohibition

Myanmar - No prohibition

Namibia - No prohibition

Nauru - No prohibition

Nepal - No prohibition

Niger - No prohibition

Nigeria - No prohibition

Oman - No prohibition

Pakistan - No prohibition

Palau - No prohibition

Papua New Guinea - No prohibition

Paraguay - No prohibition

The Philippines - No prohibition

Qatar - No prohibition

Russian Federation - No prohibition

Rwanda - No prohibition

Saudi Arabia - No prohibition

Senegal - No prohibition

Solomon Islands - No prohibition

Somalia - No prohibition

South Sudan - No prohibition

Sri Lanka - No prohibition

St. Kitts and Nevis - No prohibition

St. Lucia - No prohibition

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No prohibition

Sudan - No prohibition

Eswatini - No prohibition

Switzerland - No prohibition

Syria - No prohibition

Tanzania - No prohibition

Thailand - No prohibition

Togo - No prohibition

Tonga - No prohibition

Trinidad and Tobago - No prohibition

Tunisia - No prohibition

Türkiye - No prohibition

Turkmenistan - No prohibition

Uganda - No prohibition

United States of America - No prohibition

Uruguay - No prohibition

Uzbekistan - No prohibition

Vanuatu - No prohibition

Yemen - No prohibition

Zambia - No prohibition

Algeria - General prohibition of harassment

Argentina - General prohibition of harassment

Burundi - General prohibition of harassment

Cambodia - General prohibition of harassment

Cabo Verde - General prohibition of harassment

Comoros - General prohibition of harassment

Democratic Republic of the Congo - General prohibition of harassment

Cote d'Ivoire - General prohibition of harassment

Djibouti - General prohibition of harassment

El Salvador - General prohibition of harassment

Gabon - General prohibition of harassment

Guinea - General prohibition of harassment

Guinea-Bissau - General prohibition of harassment

Iraq - General prohibition of harassment

Monaco - General prohibition of harassment

Mozambique - General prohibition of harassment

Panama - General prohibition of harassment

Peru - General prohibition of harassment

San Marino - General prohibition of harassment

Singapore - General prohibition of harassment

Tajikistan - General prohibition of harassment

Timor-Leste - General prohibition of harassment

United Arab Emirates - General prohibition of harassment

Vietnam - General prohibition of harassment

Zimbabwe - General prohibition of harassment

Canada - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

Costa Rica - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

Kiribati - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

Liberia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

New Zealand - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

Nicaragua - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

Tuvalu - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation

Albania - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Andorra - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Australia - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Austria - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Barbados - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Belgium - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Bolivia - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Bulgaria - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Chile - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Colombia - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Croatia - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Cuba - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Cyprus - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Czech Republic - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Denmark - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Ecuador - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Equatorial Guinea - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Estonia - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Fiji - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Finland - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

France - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Georgia - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Germany - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Greece - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Honduras - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Hungary - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Iceland - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Ireland - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Italy - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Latvia - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Lithuania - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Luxembourg - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

North Macedonia - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Malta - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Mauritius - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Mexico - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Moldova - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Mongolia - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Montenegro - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

The Netherlands - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Norway - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Poland - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Portugal - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Romania - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Samoa - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Sao Tome and Principe - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Serbia - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Seychelles - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Sierra Leone - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Slovakia - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Slovenia - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

South Africa - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Spain - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Suriname - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Sweden - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Ukraine - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

United Kingdom - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition

Venezuela - Yes, sexual orientation-specific prohibition