Amendments aimed at prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of mental illness were roundly supported in the House of Assembly on Friday.

Sylvan Richards, the Minister of Social Development and Sport, explained that the primary purpose of the Human Rights Amendment Act (No 2) 2016 was to protect those who suffered from mental illness from discrimination by changing the definition of disability to include mental disability.

“For far too long this segment of our population have been denied protection under the Human Rights Act,” he said, explaining that there was a social stigma faced by those with mental illnesses, making it more difficult for them to find work, develop long-term relationships and interact socially.

However, he noted that the legislation would not force employers to hire those who were incapable of doing the required work.

The legislation also expands the prohibition against discriminatory publications. While the publication of racist notices is already prohibited, the amendments would further ban notices that discriminate on the grounds of disability, gender, sexual orientation and religion, among others.

Michael Weeks, the Shadow Minister of Health, expressed the Opposition’s support of the amendments, saying: “This Bill is long overdue. We are playing catch-up and now we are on par with most of the western world.”

Moving forward, he called on the Bermuda Government to lead by example and be the flagship when it comes to hiring those with mental disabilities.

Nandi Outerbridge, the One Bermuda Alliance whip, said the Bill put the island on the right path, while Progressive Labour Party backbencher Kim Wilson said the Bill would hopefully help to address the stereotyping and stigma faced by those with mental disabilities. However, she added that she was disappointed the amendments did not extend protection against age discrimination to include seniors seeking work.

OBA backbencher Shawn Crockwell shared Ms Wilson’s disappointment, but added that he was confident the Government would address the issue.

He also noted the widespread social stigma attached to mental health issues, saying that it has likely led to individuals not seeking help.

Mr Crockwell added that he hoped to see the same broad support for human rights when the issue of same-sex marriage came to the House.

“We cannot cherry-pick human rights issues,” he said. “We cannot do that. It’s wrong. Our job is to eliminate discrimination. We cannot say one form of discrimination is OK, let’s shy away from that.”

Closing the debate, Mr Richards said that the issue of age discrimination was on his radar, adding: “It’s way past time that we deal with that particular issue.”