Equal Treatment (Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz – AGG)

In 2006, the German parliament enacted the General Law on
Equal Treatment (Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz – AGG).
The AGG is based on EU equal treatment and anti-discrimination
directives and prohibits discrimination based on race, ethnic
origin, gender, religion, conviction, disability, age, or sexual
identity. The AGG enables employees to sue their employers for
“punitive damages” if the employer violates the prohibition of
discrimination or fails to protect the employee against discrimina-
tion at the workplace.