The unjust or prejudiced treatment of a person or a group of people based on real or perceived social/economic/cultural/political factors, such as sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, HIV-status, race, ethnicity, nationality, socio-economic status etc. Discrimination can have severe negative effects on the life of an individual. It can result in decreased educational performance and higher rates of school drop-out, reduced financial and professional success, low self-esteem, increased rates of suicide, higher chances of exposure to certain diseases such as HIV or AIDS, increased exposure to environmental and social dangers such as physical or sexual violence, and even death. Discrimination can occur in many forms, some more obvious than others, but it is always damaging, and in its most extreme forms can result in the systemic oppression of entire groups of people.