Frequently asked questions

Unia is a public institution. It is an independent, interfederal expert in the area of equal opportunities and antidiscrimination. Unia is therefore neither an NGO nor an association.

• Public: originally called the Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism, Unia was created by the law of 15 February 1993, and its duties are currently mandated by the parliaments (federal, regional and community).
• Interfederal: Unia fights against discrimination in Belgium in federal matters as well as in matters managed by the Walloon Region, the Brussels Region, the French Community and the German-speaking community.
• Independent: Unia carries out its duties with full independence.

Find out more about Unia.

• Unia does not have the authority to handle discrimination based on gender, as this is handled by the Institute for the Equality of Women and Men. 
• Unia also does not have competence for discrimination based on language. The respect for the laws concerning the use of language by public services is overseen by the Language Control Commission, but for other forms of linguistic discrimination, there is no competent organisation. 
• Unia is not competent for discrimination related to Flemish competences. That is the role of the Flemish Institute for Human Rights. 
• Unia is also not involved in the analysis of migration, the fundamental rights of foreigners or human trafficking. This is the role of the Federal Migration Centre, Myria.
• Unia is not a court of law: the advice issued by Unia is non-binding, although its expertise is widely recognised.
• Unia is not a social service for assisting people with administrative or social procedures.
• Unia is not a law firm: the specialists who work at Unia can provide you with free advice and support on steps that you take personally. They are not lawyers and therefore cannot represent you in legal matters.

Yes, Unia is active in Flanders as an equality body.

Unia is competent to fight discrimination on the basis of nationality, 'race', skin colour, descent, ethnic or national origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, disability, age, sexual orientation, state of health, wealth, physical characteristics, marital status, family composition, political beliefs, trade union beliefs, birth and social origin or condition.

Since 15 March 2023, Flemish competences such as the rental market in Flanders, Dutch-speaking education or the public transport of De Lijn have been taken over by the Flemish Institute for Human Rights. Unia is responsible in Flanders, as well as in Brussels and Wallonia, for all federal competences. These include, for example, hate speech, hate crime and offences, discrimination at work, the hotel and catering industry, commercial activities, banks and insurance companies, consumer and patient rights, public health, public transport (SNCB, STIB, TEC), defence, police, justice, etc.

Unia is therefore particularly competent in promoting equality and fighting against discrimination and racism. In concrete terms, we offer these services in Flanders:

• Support for people who are discriminated against
• Help for victims of hate speech and hate crime
• Protection of the rights of people with disabilities
• Reporting to national and international institutions
• Research
• Advice and recommendations
• Advice and structural support to local authorities and partners
• Trainings

Unia is chiefly funded by the Federal Authority (an allocation from the State budget and a subsidy from the National Lottery), the Regions and the Communities. This funding is provided for in the cooperation agreement of 12 June 2013 (art. 16). Since 2023, the Flemish authority has stopped funding Unia.

Each year, in its annual report, Unia presents its balance sheet and income statement for the past year. This information is communicated to the parliaments, while the FPS Finance is regularly updated on the financial situation. The Court of Auditors also reviews Unia’s accounts and the disbursement of its funds annually.

As our supply of promotional material is limited, we have to give priority to its distribution during the public activities of our institution. Therefore, we cannot respond positively to individual requests. 

There is little interest in visiting our premises (mainly offices for our various colleagues and some meeting rooms). To find out more about the activities of Unia, we suggest you visit our website. 

Unia fulfils its responsibilities with full independence, according to the cooperation agreement of 12 June 2013. Unia’s independence has moreover been recognised internationally.

This does not prevent Unia from regularly interacting with political figures, given the key role that they have to play in the fight against discrimination. 

Unia is also managed by an interfederal board of directors that is composed in such a way as to offer the most pluralistic possible representation. The 17 members are appointed by the various parliaments according to the Paris Principles. They issue opinions on the functioning of Unia and the execution of its responsibilities.

Yes. Unia provides its advice and information free of charge.

However, if your case goes to court (which is very rare and is never done without your consent), Unia cannot represent you. You will therefore be responsible for the lawyers’ fees and court costs.

Unia invites you to complete the online form. It's simple to use and allows you to explain the situation you have witnessed. It is free of charge and confidential. You can file a report without waiting for a response from Unia, simply so that there is a record of the facts.

Have you witnessed hate speech on social media?

• Report the use of hate speech directly to the responsible social network.
• Ask the page administrator or moderator to delete the message.
• Respond to the message by addressing the content (and not the author), by refuting the lies, expressing your dismay, and taking the time to respond calmly and reasonably.

Why is it useful to report discrimination to Unia?

The reports we receive, even if they are not actively followed up, allow us to collect data on situations of discrimination in our society.

1. This report allows us to formulate opinions, make recommendations, and systematically fight for more equality and against discrimination.
2. The figures can also be used by organisations, journalists, researchers, the academic world… to carry out studies or draw up recommendations.
3. The political world can also use the data for new proposals for legislation or public policy.

What if you made a report to Unia but you are not satisfied with the response you received? 

We invite you to consult this page Complaints about Unia's services, where you will find all the information to file a complaint.

At Unia, we receive many questions from students for papers, tasks or research. We are of course happy with this interest in equal opportunities and anti-discrimination, but due to our high workload, we can only provide answers to PhD students. Fortunately, you can find a lot of information quickly on our website.

Attention: Unia is not competent for gender discrimination (male-female, transgender), migration, asylum, access to Belgian nationality and human trafficking.   

The Unia website contains a wealth of information on discrimination and equal opportunities. As a secondary school pupil, bachelor or master student, you can find there all the information you need.

•  A description of the most important grounds for discrimination  
• Various kinds of publications (brochures, thematic reports, …)  
• Recommendations and negotiated solutions regarding our competences  
• Laws and legislations against discrimination from the regional, communities, federal, European and international level 
• Jurisprudence and alternative measures  
• Presentation of the vision and the organisation of Unia  
• A specific training website for the employment sector  (eDiv)  

Are you a PhD student and are you doing research on one of our themes? Ask your question via our contact form.

Unia always favours settling a conflict through mediation. However, very rarely (in 1% of the cases), it may initiate or participate in (criminal or civil) legal action.

This is done when the crimes are particularly serious, when dialogue proves impossible or when a ruling by a judge could clarify what is legal and what is not.

Judicial proceedings are therefore extremely rare and are never initiated without the consent of the person who has been discriminated against.

Unia analyses the reports received to determine the appropriate follow-up. When active monitoring is deemed appropriate, Unia can either opt for negotiation (in the majority of cases), or take legal action.

Unia always favours negotiation

To facilitate this, it can contact and hear all the people concerned in order to reach a constructive solution. Negotiation has several advantages:

• it is faster than legal proceedings;
• you can obtain recognition and/or redress;
• the perpetrator becomes aware of his actions and structural measures can be put in place, a lasting solution is found.

Legal action

If negotiation is not possible, Unia can take legal action, with the consent of the person submitting the report. Legal action is very rare (in 1% of cases) and is never taken without the agreement of the person discriminated against.