A Diverse Society: Fighting Discrimination and Group-Based Hatred

Police violence: awareness, prevention and consistent prosecution

The task of the security authorities, such as the police, customs, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution or the fire service, is to protect our democratic society and to guarantee the fundamental rights of all people. Unfortunately, many people have very different experiences in their dealings with these state bodies, ones marked by sexism, homophobia, hostility to disabled people and racism.

Every single racist, sexist, homophobic, antisemitic or otherwise anti-human-rights incident is not only an attack on the person affected or on a single group, but an attack on a free, diverse society as a whole. That is why we are firmly committed to measures of prevention and awareness, but also to the consistent and uncompromising prosecution and legal prevention of violence and discrimination by security authorities.

Expanding awareness and evaluation

Current police work is not sufficiently evaluated. We are therefore committed to permanent evaluation by anti-discrimination officers. Furthermore, we want to create psychological counselling services for staff in all investigative authorities. For all police officers, including and especially those who have long been in service, we want to introduce regular mandatory training, knowledge updates and awareness seminars, for example on de-escalating communication techniques or human and civil rights.

Abolishing racial profiling

Racial profiling is not only incompatible with the principle of equal treatment and the presumption of innocence, but also reinforces stereotypes and fosters structural racism. Actual crimes are not prevented by racial profiling. We are committed to the complete abolition of this practice.

Setting up external investigative bodies

Every year, thousands of cases of disproportionate police violence are reported. Nevertheless, convictions rarely follow, which points to a structural problem. To remedy this, we want to set up external investigative bodies. These should be responsible for investigating allegations of serious police violence and other human-rights violations by the police (for example torture practices). As in Scotland, they must be equipped with extensive criminal investigative powers and be heterogeneously composed, that is, including staff without police training or ties.

Putting video surveillance under neutral oversight

Through video surveillance, which currently falls under its own supervision, the German police generally has, in the first instance, the role of controller of the footage.

To protect citizens, however, the collection and storage of data should take place under neutral oversight. Control over the footage should not lie with the police. To protect citizens, we are also committed, despite data-protection concerns, to the video surveillance and recording of people taken into custody described above. We want to require police officers to wear so-called body cams that cannot be switched off while on duty.

Reforming the admission requirements for police training

We want to reform the admission requirements for police training. As in other fields of study, shortened training or extended internships in social or human-rights-oriented organisations and institutions should become part of the admission requirements.

Changing the existing principle of mandatory prosecution

The current strict rule in Germany, that police officers must immediately report a possible offence by colleagues (as witnesses), because otherwise they make themselves complicit by hesitating, is counterproductive in practice. Anyone who ends up in a violent situation that they may not have expected at all needs time afterwards for a confidential conversation. The existing principle of mandatory prosecution, by contrast, inevitably leads to psychological overload for the police officers concerned (colleagues of the police perpetrators). We therefore want to grant police officers a period of at least 48 hours after disproportionate police violence has occurred in which to file a report.

Racism: for a society without discrimination!

We are committed to the goal of overcoming racism. We reject and sharply condemn every form of racism, ethnopluralism, biologism and cultural essentialism.

Expanding the Equal Treatment Act

We welcome the General Equal Treatment Act, as well as the work of the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency, but consider them insufficient to overcome racism. In order to implement the EU equality directives, UN Resolution 2142 (XXI), which calls for the “Elimination of all forms of racial discrimination”, and minimum standards going beyond these, we want to expand the Equal Treatment Act together with those affected and their associations.

Removing the term “race”

We support replacing the long-outdated term “race” in the Basic Law and in all other applicable laws and regulations, since the use of the word “race” suggests that there really are different human races. Furthermore, we endorse the “Jena Declaration” of the German Zoological Society, which understands the concept of race as “the result of racism and not [as] its precondition”. We therefore want to replace the term “race” with discrimination on “racist grounds”.

Compensation for the genocide of the Herero and Nama

We are committed to recognising the genocide of the Herero and Nama in the colony of German South West Africa during the years 1904 to 1908 as a genocide. It must be anchored as such in the curricula and in the culture of remembrance. The descendants of the victims must be compensated.

Including groups with experiences of racism

To create anti-racist, anti-discriminatory and democratic politics and society, we want to better involve groups with experiences of racism in democratic processes. These include, for example: Black and People of Colour (BPoC), Roma, Sinti, Travellers, Yenish, Pavee, caravan dwellers, Forains, refugees, Russian-Germans, quota refugees, migrants, expatriates and Sans-Papiers (undocumented migrants). We want to support affected people’s associations in opposing any group-based hatred. We view the increase in racist attitudes and attacks in recent years with great concern. We want to combat them by all means. In doing so, we refrain from simple apportioning of blame, especially to workers, and instead look at structural causes such as the historically deep-rooted connection between capitalism and racism.

Expanding race-critical youth work

We want to further expand race-critical youth work, taking our cue from the guidelines of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation.

Reducing racist stereotyping in the media

To reduce racist stereotyping in the media, we want to more strongly involve representatives of the interest groups of those affected by racism in the broadcasting councils, and to revise guidelines.

Raising authorities’ awareness of racism

To raise the awareness of authorities and other state institutions about racism, we are committed to comprehensive training for all staff. In addition, we want to advance the creation of liaison officers and counselling centres, in order to better support those affected by racism.

Making the day against racism and human-rights day public holidays

To further raise broad public awareness of the issues of racism and human rights, we are committed to declaring the International Day Against Racism on 21 March and Human Rights Day on 10 December to be public holidays.

Gender equality & sexual diversity: self-determination for all

Heteronormativity and the idea that there are only two genders are tacitly accepted as politically and socially “normal”. People who fall outside this norm are marked as “other” and are still excluded. We therefore support the right to sexual and gender diversity in society and to self-determination.

To enable everyone to lead a free and self-determined life, we want to stop discrimination in law and in all areas of life.

Sexual self-determination

A person’s gender identity must be self-determined. We therefore want to abolish any indication of gender in public documents. Where that is not possible, we want to make changing the gender entry simple and free of charge. Here we explicitly consider it insufficient to provide only the options male, female and diverse; instead, we are committed to the free choice of gender entry, or at least to expanding the options, in consultation with the self-representation bodies of those affected.

Making name changes possible

A person’s name, too, is part of their right to free development of personality. We reject the judicial hearing and approval of name changes for trans* and inter* people as a superfluous additional hurdle. Instead, we want to reform name law modelled on English law: everyone should be able to adopt one or more names of their choosing, without judicial approval.

Stopping medically unnecessary sex-assignment surgery on children

We are committed to immediately stopping medically unnecessary sex-assignment operations on intersex* children. Just like conversion therapies, they are human-rights-violating interventions into physical and mental integrity and must therefore be prosecuted as criminal bodily harm. The victims must be recognised and compensated.

We want to fund gender-affirming operations on people capable of giving consent as medically necessary procedures. They must not be excluded from coverage as supposed cosmetic or unnecessary operations, or treated differently from other recognised surgical procedures.

Stopping discrimination in healthcare

We are committed to ensuring awareness of discrimination in healthcare, for example regarding the homophobic blood-donation rules or insensitive language that creates superfluous hurdles to accessing medical services.

Trans men often experience examinations at the gynaecologist as a traumatic event, because gynaecologists are often overwhelmed in dealing with these patients. This leads to illnesses going undetected, because patients cannot or do not want to repeatedly face the discrimination and the traumatic experience. We want to work towards gynaecologists’ practices being developed into a safe space, instead of being a place for traumatic experiences.

We are also committed to removing gender identity disorder from the ICD, where it appears under the code F64 in the list of mental illnesses.

Equality in law

We want legal equality in all areas of law and recognition for lesbian, gay, bi*, trans*, inter*, a* and queer people. To this end, we want to combat gender-based violence and sexual harassment and abuse. In all public institutions, we want to set up equal-opportunity officers and liaison offices that receive complaints from citizens about homophobic and sexist attacks. We want to expand hate-crime laws with anti-sexist, anti-transphobic and anti-homophobic provisions.

No discrimination against LGBTQIA+ parents

We want to end the discrimination against LGBTQIA+ parents in the joint exercise of custody of children, and to recognise the parenthood of married same-sex couples. Furthermore, we want to develop a legal and social framework, with social and psychological structures, in which co-parenthood can be tried out, where more than two people can, may and should exercise parenthood and custody (for example a lesbian couple and a gay couple who jointly exercise parenthood for their shared children).

Mandatory consultation and quotas

To ensure that the voices and perspectives of women* and the LGBTQIA+ community are heard in the Bundestag and the parliaments, we are committed to a mandatory consultation of feminist and LGBTQIA+ organisations on all decisions in the parliamentary context that affect women and people of the LGBTQIA+ community socially and politically. Furthermore, we support the creation of quotas for women* and LGBTQIA+ people.

Expanding psychological-care units and support structures

We want to expand psychological-care units for women and LGBTQIA+ victims in all parts of the country, especially in small communities and rural areas as well as at universities, colleges and schools, so that they are quickly and easily accessible. In addition, we want to create social support structures (feeding-housing) for people who are socially excluded because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Stricter judicial ethics in gender-based violence and discrimination

Gender stereotypes or the assumption of the existence of a rape culture must not, as has often happened in the past, serve to defend a defendant. We want to create measures to enforce stricter judicial ethics. We want to include the term “femicide” for the killing of women* for gender-specific motives in the Criminal Code.

Stricter media ethics in gender-based violence and discrimination

The media should not reproduce social stereotypes that justify violence and stigmatise the victims (victim blaming). We therefore want to improve, together with the Press Council, guidelines for the media on how incidents of gender-based violence and discrimination should be referred to.

Including sexual diversity in the curricula

We support educational measures that contribute to the acceptance of the diversity of sexual identities, rainbow families and ethnic and cultural identities. To this end, we want to supplement the curriculum with the basics of gender theory, so that the culture of gender inequality, stereotypes and discrimination can be dismantled from an early age.

Campaigns to dismantle social stereotypes

Together with feminist and LGBTQIA+ organisations, we are committed to public campaigns to dismantle the social stereotypes of patriarchy and to increase the acceptance of gender diversity and diverse sexual orientations.

A public holiday on the international day against IDAHOBIT

To reach society as a whole in its breadth, we want to make the international day IDAHOBIT (International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia) on 17 May a public holiday. We are also committed to introducing an accompanying themed week in schools.

Inclusive and gender-neutral language in the public sector

We are committed to the use of inclusive, gender-neutral language in the public sector and, by means of procurement law, at publicly funded bodies.

Sexism: stopping discrimination against women*

We condemn all forms of gynophobia, misogyny, hostility to women, sexism and anti-feminism. They are based on the fundamental rejection of the emancipation of women*. For us, emancipation is an indispensable step towards achieving a democratic society, a process that is far from complete.

The equality of women* is a precondition for any other participation and equality, because 50.8% of the population are women*. To discriminate against them means including less than half of society. We therefore support feminist movements in their diversity. Their insight that gender roles and stereotypes are social constructions is fundamental to our politics. Sex or gender is not “given by nature”, but made by people and thus changeable.

Effectively closing the gender pay gap

Women* still earn significantly less than men. We want to close the so-called gender pay gap by tightening the Pay Transparency Act. All companies should be required to review their pay structures using recognised methods and to inform their employees about them. Violations should be sanctioned. To effectively support those affected, we additionally want to introduce a right of associations to bring legal action. We also want to specifically upgrade care and service professions, in which women* predominantly work, by aligning the wage level in these professions with that of more male-dominated fields.

Gender-critical education

Sexist attitudes are already conveyed in childhood. That is why we are committed to gender-critical education, that is, teaching children early that girls and boys have the freedom not to behave in “typical” ways. We also want children not to be taught clichés about “men/boys” or “women/girls” regarding what they must be able to do, how they should feel and whom they may love.

Investigating pink-and-blue marketing, undoing gender

We want to support parents in modelling an egalitarian image of gender. We want, where possible, to prevent the unconscious early learning of stereotypical gender attributions with far-reaching effects, from gender-based violence to the gender pay gap. To this end, we want to investigate the effects of the “pink-and-blue trap”, that is, the marketing practice that conveys stereotypes to children from an early age about clothing, toys and entertainment. Depending on the results, we can envisage advertising bans for this kind of product.

More women*’s shelters

Women* in our society are still victims of violence because of their gender and are discriminated against in private, public and professional life. To counteract and prevent violence against women*, we want to create more women*’s shelters. The shelters should be made accessible, since women* with disabilities in particular more often become victims of domestic violence.

A nationwide hotline for women* who experience violence

To provide immediate support to women* who experience violence, we are committed to setting up a nationwide free 24/7 hotline staffed in multiple languages, which can also be used by users with hearing impairments. Explicitly, we envisage real-time text, total-conversation services, relay services and emergency apps.

Improving prevention

We are committed to finally taking stalking and catcalling seriously as criminal offences. We want to require authorities to develop measures to prevent femicides. Victim protection must be at the centre of all rules and laws in this area. We also want to improve the exchange of best practices and problem analyses through a federal-state committee.

Comprehensive appointment of equal-opportunity officers

We want to achieve the comprehensive appointment of equal-opportunity officers at federal, state and municipal level. They should be mandatorily involved in all relevant legislative procedures and should review the state of implementation of the Istanbul Convention.

The goal of an equal, emancipated society needs, alongside laws and institutions, the engagement of civil society. For this, the existing structures such as associations and NGOs must be strengthened, and more financial resources must be invested in the cooperation.

A quota for leadership positions

We are committed to a quota for leadership positions. At least 50 per cent of all positions on the boards of listed companies and public companies should have to be filled by women*.

Destigmatising voluntary sex work

We support the bodily self-determination of women*.

That is why we want to destigmatise voluntary sex work and the offering of sexual services, by reforming the Prostitution Protection Act. We want to combat violence, forced prostitution and human trafficking more strongly. We want, as a rule, to grant victims of human trafficking an unrestricted right to stay, and to expand access to leniency provisions and witness protection.

International Women’s Day as a public holiday

To commemorate the long struggle of feminist movements, which continues to this day, and at the same time to raise broad public awareness of the problem of discrimination against women, we want to make International Women’s Day on 8 March a public holiday.

Antisemitism: continuous education

We condemn antisemitism in all its forms. We are aware of the special historical responsibility of the Federal Republic of Germany for the crime of the Shoah. The industrial murder of six million Jews is an unimaginable crime against humanity that shows us what antisemitism in its worst form has led to.

All the more important today is the determined fight against all forms of antisemitism. The increase in antisemitically motivated crimes across Europe, but also specifically in Germany, shows us that antisemitism is a problem that we still have to combat today. This is by no means an “imported” problem, as the right and conservatives like to claim. Rather, antisemitism is a deep-seated, structural problem in German society, which runs like a red thread through European intellectual and cultural history, from the anti-Judaism of the Middle Ages, through the witch hysteria of the early modern period, the antisemitic agitation of Martin Luther and the antisemitic writings of political thinkers such as Martin Heidegger.

Given the long history of antisemitism in Europe, it can sadly not surprise us if antisemitic stereotypes and conspiracy theories are once again spreading today. Conspiracy theories in particular almost always fall back on old antisemitic explanatory patterns. They invoke “Jews” as “puppet masters”, “well poisoners” and “child murderers”, in order to find supposedly simple answers to the complex questions of our time. We regard othering and stereotypical devaluation as deep-seated, culturally transmitted coping mechanisms for crises. In this regard, we welcome the Jerusalem Declaration, as it offers a clear, if not exhaustive, definition of antisemitism.

Because of the deep, structural entrenchment of antisemitism, there are no simple cure-all solutions to abolish antisemitism in our societies, but only continuous, critical and sensitive reappraisal, information and empowerment.

Awareness in schools and education

We know that in schoolyards the word “Jew” is used as an insult. The cause of this is an evidently insufficient awareness and education strategy, paired with deep-seated antisemitism. We therefore want to advance the expansion of the existing culture of remembrance, but also the targeted raising of pupils’ awareness of antisemitism, as well as the systematic reappraisal of any cases of antisemitism in schools by social workers and psychologists, together with the further raising of awareness among the teaching staff. We want to support civil-society organisations in doing their important anti-discrimination work, and we see the education of free and democratic individuals as a decisive means against the perpetuation of antisemitic resentment.

Protecting Jewish institutions

It is the state’s primary task here to ensure the protection of Jewish institutions. This should not happen as a concession, but as a mandate from Article 6 of the Basic Law, in order to guarantee freedom of religion and of opinion. The protection must be regulated uniformly nationwide, since at present, because of federalism, there are different rules in each federal state, which lead to superfluous bureaucracy and make effective action more difficult.

Furthermore, the question is whether those who are supposed to ensure protection are even suitable, when right-wing extremist chats and groups are uncovered in the security authorities all the time. These can no longer be played down as “regrettable isolated cases”. In protecting synagogues, we cannot risk having there those who agree with antisemitic slogans at coronavirus-denier demonstrations or who consider Jews to be the “root of all evil”.

Communities must not be left to bear the costs that arise, or be unable to afford certain measures. No co-payment for protective measures: fences, bollards, entrance gates, video surveillance and also private security staff must be financed without bureaucracy. Other Jewish institutions, too, should be able to fund security costs publicly.

The protection of discriminated minorities goes beyond the protection of Jews. We therefore additionally want to set up a nationwide “Fund to Support Those Affected by Politically Extremist Violence”, modelled on Berlin. We also want to develop a long-term, nationally uniform strategy. In any case, the protection of Jewish institutions must be permanently supported.

Antigypsyism: protecting against discrimination and persecution

As the report of the Commission on Antigypsyism has shown, up to 60 per cent of people in Germany still hold attitudes marked by stereotypes, aversion and/or hostility towards Roma, Sinti, Travellers, Yenish and other people and groups. The groups stigmatised by the majority society with the slur “Zigeuner” (“Gypsies”) experience social and state exclusion and discrimination. We oppose every form of antigypsyism.

Including antigypsyism in the curricula

We are committed to ensuring that the persecution, up to and including expulsion, pogroms, internment, forced sterilisation and the state-organised genocide of the Nazis against Roma, Sinti and other people and groups is included in the curricula and dealt with in detail in lessons.

Raising authorities’ awareness of antigypsyism

Through training and the better involvement of those affected, we want to raise the awareness of staff in authorities and public institutions about antigypsyism.

Stopping deportations

There are no safe countries of origin for people affected by antigypsyism. We therefore want to stop deportations and expand provision for protection and support.

Anti-Muslim racism: protection for Muslims

We condemn all anti-Muslim racism, that is, the sweeping rejection and stereotyping of Muslims.

In Europe in general and Germany in particular, Islam in its diversity, and Muslims, are often portrayed as homogeneous and monolithic, especially by staging “the” Islam as “dangerous” or at least as “foreign”. The construction of “the” Islam as an enemy image, however, has nothing to do with reality. There is no more “the” Islam than there is “the” Christianity.

Like any other group-based hatred, anti-Muslim racism, too, is not “just” an unfriendly treatment of Muslims or those taken to be Muslim, but leads to Muslims more often becoming victims of hate crime and violence and being structurally and institutionally discriminated against. We therefore support programmes and initiatives that raise awareness and combat anti-Muslim racism.

Prevention programmes for anti-Muslim racism

In view of the increase in discrimination against Muslims in our society and the rise in hate crime, of which the attack in Hanau represents a sad culmination, we want to bring anti-Muslim racism more strongly into the focus of prevention programmes.

Supporting initiatives and a federal commissioner for anti-Muslim racism

To stop the devaluation of Muslims, we want to systematically support civil-society organisations, affected people’s associations and victims, and to create a federal commissioner for anti-Muslim racism.

Inclusion and participation: diversity as an opportunity

We see diversity as an opportunity that should unfold in many ways, especially in public spaces too. To ensure it, we want to guarantee everyone participation in all areas of life.

We reject ableism and disablism, that is, the generalisation about, or devaluing attitude towards, people with disabilities, chronic illnesses or neurodivergences, in all their forms. That is why we call for a change of perspective. “Normality” must not be the yardstick. All people are diverse, with different abilities. The exclusion of people is the problem, not the difference between people. People are not disabled; they are disabled by society. The problem is not the wheelchair, but the stairs.

We reject treating people with different physical or mental abilities as if something were wrong with them. Such treatment is an expression of a devaluing attitude. Germany has therefore ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It also refers to further conventions that have been set up to enable, among other things, participation along other dimensions of discrimination (intersectionality). We pay particular attention to monitoring compliance with these agreements.

We want to regularly evaluate existing structures, together with the representatives of the relevant groups, for their inclusivity and effectiveness.

No financial disadvantage for participation

The granting of participation benefits must not lead to financial disadvantage for their recipients. We are committed to ensuring that those in need and their relatives no longer have to pay for goods, services or medical therapies necessary for participation out of their own pockets.

Ensuring the employment of disabled people

The statutory employment quota of five per cent of disabled people is met by private employers only at 4.1 per cent. We want to impose fines on employers who continue not to meet the requirements in future. We want to increase the compensatory levies, so that it is more worthwhile for companies to comply with the employment obligation. We want to financially support companies in making the changes and purchases necessary for an accessible and inclusive workplace, such as ramps or the conversion of sanitary facilities.

Minimum wage and labour rights in sheltered workshops

Sheltered workshops for disabled people reinforce tendencies towards exclusion. We are therefore determined to integrate people with disabilities into the world of work. As long as sheltered workshops for people with disabilities exist, we are committed to ensuring that the minimum wage and all other provisions of labour and co-determination law apply there too. Over the medium term, we see the transformation of the WfbM (sheltered workshops for disabled people) into non-profit enterprises in the equal ownership and under the management of all those employed in them as our goal.

Expanding counselling provision

For the victims of discrimination and their relatives, we want to expand low-threshold and free counselling provision, especially for people affected by discrimination on the basis of disability, chronic illness, racism, antisemitism, sexual and gender identity, age discrimination or socio-economic factors.

Accessible building and living

We want to guarantee accessible building and living. The current rules are insufficient and too poorly funded. We therefore want to make public new builds, including the municipal housing stock, fully accessible and to adapt existing buildings as far as possible. We want to fund conversions of living space that help to ensure participation. We want to regularly evaluate and improve rules, regulations and laws together with those affected, their representatives and academics.

Inclusive pedagogy

Public schools and colleges/universities should be places of the greatest possible equality of opportunity. To foster this, we want to support research and pilot projects for inclusive pedagogical concepts such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL). We want to equip educational institutions with accessible infrastructure and supplementary provision such as distance learning. Explicitly, we envisage that guidance systems for blind people, induction loops and the use of sign language should be included in all educational institutions. We want to enable teachers and educational staff to take part regularly and free of charge in training on inclusive pedagogy. In future, inclusion must be a firm component of the curricula for trainee teachers and educators.

Involvement in broadcasting councils

We see a pronounced lack of representation of people with disabilities in the media. We are therefore committed to the involvement of diverse people in the broadcasting councils, as well as an adjustment of the funding guidelines of German film funding.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities as a public holiday

To encourage the entire public to change perspective, we are committed to introducing the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December as a public holiday.

Age discrimination: protecting children and seniors

Age is still among the major factors of discrimination, children and young people are discriminated against on the one hand, and seniors on the other. We are firmly committed to opposing age-related discrimination and want to implement measures that protect young and old people from discrimination.

Ratifying the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

We are committed to the full ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

No minors in the Bundeswehr

We categorically reject the inclusion of minors in the Bundeswehr, as this violates the protective principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Contact points for children and young people

To better protect children and young people, we want to create psychological, social and legal contact points that enable them to assert their rights, if necessary even against their parents.

More co-determination for pupils

We want to strengthen and expand the democratic co-determination rights of children and young people through youth parliaments and pupil representation. They should be mandatorily involved in all matters that concern them.

Enabling work in old age

Adults should have the right, regardless of their age, to take an active part in working life if they wish to. We therefore want to remove rules that force an involuntary entry into retirement. The income of pensioners should not be counted against pension payments and should not be specially taxed.

The rule of law: making the law accessible

We want to guarantee everyone access to the rule of law, regardless of their financial, linguistic, intellectual and social means. We are therefore committed to improving access to the options offered by the rule of law, especially for marginalised people.

Expanding legal aid

To make access to justice easier for people with experiences of discrimination, we want to expand legal aid. By this we mean that people must have the right to legal counsel, in both civil and criminal law, regardless of their financial means.

Integrating international norms and conventions directly into German law

In Germany, human rights and international agreements are not directly actionable, because a dualist system applies here. This means that international law must first be explicitly integrated into national law in the form of statutes before it becomes actionable. We want to change this. Provisions of international law, and thus also of human-rights law, should come into force immediately upon signing. This means that, in future, international law becomes German law directly upon its entry into force.

Expanding the right of associations to sue

To give affected people’s associations the possibility of asserting anti-discrimination claims of those affected by way of representative standing, we want to expand the existing right of associations to sue into a genuine right of collective action, modelled on the US class-action lawsuit.