The South Carolina Human Affairs Commission enforces State laws prohibiting employment discrimination. These laws protect you against employment discrimination when it involves:

• Unfair treatment because of your race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), and disability.
• Harassment by managers, co-workers, or others in your workplace, because of your race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), and disability.
• Denial of a reasonable workplace accommodation that you need because of your religious beliefs or disability.
• Retaliation because you complained about job discrimination, or assisted with a job discrimination investigation or lawsuit.

If you believe that you have been discriminated against by your employer, file a Charge of Discrimination.   SCHAC requires you to file a Charge of Discrimination with us before you can file a job discrimination lawsuit against your employer. For more information on submitting evidence to substantiate your Charge of Discrimination, please read here.

Not all employers are covered by the laws we enforce, and not all employees are protected. This can vary depending on the type of employer, the number of employees it has, and the type of discrimination alleged. Also, there are strict time limits for filing a charge that you should be aware of.