Answer: Prejudice is an unjustified or incorrect belief (usually negative) towards an individual based solely on the individual’s membership in a social group while discrimination is when someone acts on his/her prejudiced beliefs. For example, if it is believed that people born in one’s own country or community are superior to others, it is a prejudice. When this belief becomes the basis for the denial of certain rights to people originating from other countries or communities, it becomes discrimination. Prejudice based upon factors such as age, ethnicity, race, religion, sex, gender, etc. can ultimately become the basis of discrimination causing a social cleavage, which if left unaddressed can lead to various issues in society, such as:

• Violation of rights: It leads to violation of civil and political rights as well as economic, social, and cultural rights (ESCRs). For instance, prejudice based on social hierarchy has led to discrimination of lower castes, which alienates them in society.
• Unrealized societal potential: Discrimination derived from prejudices invariably leads to exclusion. On the societal level, when discrimination is allowed or tolerated in a society, it deprives people of exercising their potential for themselves and for society. For example, during the colonial rule in India, the political, economic, social, and cultural rights of the Indian population were severely suppressed by the British, which led to a long struggle for freedom from the British.
• Stereotyping: Prejudice, when not addressed through a concerted effort at an early time, is hard to get rid of as stereotyping tendencies are created, which linger for a long time. For example, the secessionist movement, which acquired a violent turn in the erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) was precipitated by the stereotyping of the Bengalis and the consequent denial of their socio-cultural and political rights by the West Pakistani elite.
• Disturbs harmony: The belief that a particular ‘outgroup’ poses a threat to one’s own (sometimes dominant or majority) ‘ingroup’ results in perceived threats. When not resolved in a timely manner, it often leads to violence. For instance, during the COVID-19 outbreak, discrimination and violence against East Asians witnessed a spike in some Western countries. Due to the established prejudice, all of them were grouped into the same category, and discrimination against them reached a high.

Thus, prejudice and discrimination should be addressed at the earliest. For this, certain ethical values like universal brotherhood, equality, empowerment of right holders, accountability, sensitivity training, participative decision-making, stakeholder engagement, raising awareness about threats posed by prejudice, etc. should be inculcated in society.