The Equality Authority has said a substantial number of cases taken under the Equal Status Act last year related to the public sector.
A total of 171 complaints against Government departments, health boards and local authorities were made to the Equality Authority last year.
Its Chief Executive Officer, Niall Crowley, said the public sector should be setting standards and providing leadership in promoting equality.
He called for the introduction of a statutory duty on public bodies to address equality issues similar to that in place in the North.
In its annual report the authority said that, for the first time, the grounds of race is the largest category of cases taken under the Employment Equality Act at 30%.
Gender discrimination represents 29% of complaints, mainly concerning women who have been discriminated against because of pregnancy and who have experienced sexual harassment.
Discrimination on disability grounds represents 17% of cases under the Equal Status Act, and 16% of cases taken under the Employment Equality Act.
Access to licensed premises remained the biggest category of case files under the Equal Status Act, followed by claims of discrimination by schools and colleges.
