Revised Laws of Saint Lucia (2021)

13.   Protection from discrimination on the grounds of race, etc

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    (1)   Subject to the provisions of subsections (4), (5) and (7), no law shall make any provision that is discriminatory either of itself or in its effect.

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    (2)   Subject to the provisions of subsections (6), (7) and (8), no person shall be treated in a discriminatory manner by any person or authority.

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    (3)   In this section, the expression “discriminatory” means affording different treatment to different persons attributable wholly or mainly to their respective descriptions by sex, race, place of origin, political opinions, colour or creed whereby persons of one such description are subjected to disabilities or restrictions to which persons of another such description are not made subject or are accorded privileges or advantages which are not accorded to persons of another such description.

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    (4)   Subsection (1) shall not apply to any law so far as that law makes provision—

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      (a)     for the appropriation of public revenues or other public funds;

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      (b)     with respect to persons who are not citizens;

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      ©     for the application, in the case of persons of any such description as is mentioned in subsection (3) (or of persons connected with such persons), of the law with respect to adoption, marriage, divorce, burial, devolution of property on death or other like matters which is the personal law of persons of that description;

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      (d)     whereby persons of any such description as is mentioned in subsection (3) may be subjected to any disability or restriction or may be accorded any privilege or advantage that, having regard to its nature and to special circumstances pertaining to those persons or to persons of any other such description, is reasonably justifiable in a democratic society.

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    (5)   Nothing contained in any law shall be held to be inconsistent with or in contravention of subsection (1) to the extent that it makes provision with respect to standards or qualifications (not being standards or qualifications specifically relating to sex, race, place of origin, political opinions, colour or creed) to be required of any person who is appointed to or to act in any office or employment.

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    (6)   Subsection (2) shall not apply to anything which is expressly or by necessary implication authorised to be done by any such provision of law as is referred to in subsection (4) or (5).

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    (7)   Nothing contained in or done under the authority of any law shall be held to be inconsistent with or in contravention to the extent that the law in question makes provision whereby persons of any such description as is mentioned in subsection (3) may be subjected to any restriction on the rights and freedoms guaranteed by sections 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12, being such a restriction as is authorised by section 7(2), 9(5), 10(2), 11(2), 12(3)(a), 12(3)(b) or 12(3)(h), as the case may be.

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    (8)   Nothing contained in subsection (2) shall affect any discretion relating to the institution, conduct or discontinuance of civil or criminal proceedings in any court that is vested in any person by or under this Constitution or any other law.