Equinet, together with the Hungarian Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, organised a one and a half day capacity-building seminar for equality bodies’ staff members about fighting discrimination based on the grounds of race and ethnic origin. The meeting took place in Budapest on 9-10 November 2016.
Background
Discrimination on the basis of one’s race and ethnic origin remains one of the most often experienced form of inequality and one that features prominently in the work of equality bodies. In many European countries racial and ethnic minorities, and in particular Roma people, remain the most disadvantaged and persecuted group in society.
In a context where public sentiment is often hostile towards racial and ethnic minorities and institutional discrimination and the under-reporting of incidents are common, the challenges around managing the refugee crisis and ensuring the inclusion of migrants also risk to render the public discourse more hostile and discrimination more widely accepted.
Equinet and its members have done a lot of work on this topic in recent years, most recently with a paper from the Working Group on Equality law. This discusses the key legal issues and challenges, and the available tools and good practices in tackling discrimination on the ground of race and ethnic origin, which were the basis of the discussions during the Seminar.
Objectives
The Seminar aimed to:
- Build capacity among Equinet members to combat discrimination on the ground of race and ethnic origin, including a focus on discrimination against Roma people
- Offer a platform to discuss good practices and promising tools
- Discuss issues of multiple discrimination where race and ethnic origin intersect with other grounds such as gender, religion or belief
Download the summary report
Summary Report (PDF)
Summary Report (Word)
Speakers’ Presentations
OPENING SESSION – WELCOME
- László Székely, Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, Hungary
- Elisabeth Sándor-Szalay, Deputy Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, Ombudsman for the Rights of National Minorities, Hungary
- Evelyn Collins, Equinet Chair
SESSION 1 – Context and Challenges
Chair: Evelyn Collins, Chair of the Equinet Executive Board and Chief Executive of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland
- Jayne Hardwick, Equality and Human Rights Commission, Great Britain, and Moderator of Equinet’s Working Group on Equality Law
- Mutuma Ruteere, United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance
- Elisabeth Sándor-Szalay, Deputy Commissioner for Minority Rights, Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, Hungary
- Sami Nevala, Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA)
WORKSHOP 1 – Context and challenges through case law identified by equality bodies
- Education – Adél Lukovics, Equal Treatment Authority, Hungary
- Media – Imane El Morabet, Interfederal Centre for Equal Opportunities, Belgium
- Employment – Tamas Kadar, Equinet Secretariat
- Housing – Edina Tordai, Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, Hungary
WORKSHOP 2 – Case studies on discrimination against Roma
- Education – Michel Verschraegen, European Commission
- ECtHR case law, including hate crime and hate speech – Oana-Luiza Taba, European Court of Human Rights
- Multiple discrimination and gender issues – Lidia Balogh, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Centre for Social Sciences Institute for Legal Studies
- Housing – Tatjana Perić, OSCE ODIHR
SESSION 2 – Responding to discrimination against Roma
Chair: Elisabeth Sándor-Szalay, Deputy Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, Ombudsman for the Rights of National Minorities, Hungary
- Education – Michel Verschraegen, European Commission
- ECtHR case law, including hate crime and hate speech – Oana-Luiza Taba, European Court of Human Rights
- Multiple discrimination and gender issues – Lidia Balogh, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Centre for Social Sciences Institute for Legal Studies
- Housing – Tatjana Perić, OSCE ODIHR
SESSION 3 – Good practices to combat discrimination on the grounds of race and ethnic origin
Chair: Veronika Bazalová, Office of the Public Defender of Rights, Czech Republic
- Strategic litigation – Lindsey Reynolds, Equality and Human Rights Commission, Scotland
- Awareness raising – Chrysoula Malisianou, Défenseur des Droits, France
- Cooperation with stakeholders – Cornelia Amon-Konrath, Austrian Ombud for Equal Treatment
- Training – Barbara Bos, Netherlands Institute for Human Rights, Netherlands
WORKSHOP 3 – Discussing good practices and identifying needs
- Strategic litigation – Lilla Farkas, European University Institute, Italy
- Awareness raising and education – Laszlo Milutinovits, European Youth Centre Budapest, Hungary
- NGO Cooperation and Roma empowerment – Mariana Berbec, Open Society Foundation, Hungary
- Training – Barbara Bos, Netherlands Institute for Human Rights, Netherlands
CONCLUDING SESSION
- Elisabeth Sándor-Szalay, Deputy Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, Ombudsman for the Rights of National Minorities, Hungary
- Anne Gaspard, Equinet Executive Director
Agenda
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| Equality Bodies fighting discrimination based on race and ethnic origin – Budapest, Nov. 2016 |