Individuals found guilty of racist practices will face a fine of just over 4,200 euros, while groups, companies or organisations will be liable to pay monetary damages twice that amount. Entities found guilty of racism will also see their offences made public.
The Government has however decided to not accept recommendations made by the United Nations for a quota system in order to correct imbalances caused by race and ethnicity.
Just last week a report by Amnesty International criticised Portugal for being a country where discrimination against Roma communities “continues unabated”.
Dedicating two of the 409-page report on the state of human rights across the globe to this country, Portugal was also singled out for its alleged continued failure to ensure that hate crimes are prohibited in law, and for not creating a national data collection system for hate crimes.
In April, the UN Committee on the Rights of People with Disabilities asked Portugal to review austerity measures that have reduced the availability of services to people with disabilities and forced many of them into poverty or extreme poverty.
The Committee expressed concern about cuts to resources for inclusive education for children with disabilities and support for their families.
These measures had particularly negative effects on women caregivers, according to this latest Amnesty report, who, in most cases cared for children with
disabilities.
In June, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance reported that Portugal had not fully implemented the measures it had recommended in 2013 to address racism and discrimination towards Roma communities, especially regarding data collection and the simplification of procedures to report cases of discrimination to the High Commissioner for Migration.