April 29, 2022

Inclusion for the win: European Capitals of Inclusion & Diversity Award

What does it mean to live in Europe today?  While the answers are many and complex, our plurality and common experiences hint at a common purpose: […]
February 3, 2022

The European Year of Youth: How to rally champions for inclusion

By Equinet staff Is there light at the end of the tunnel? After campaigning for rails in 2021, the European Commission and Parliament designated 2022 as […]
January 17, 2022

The path to persuasion: “Be credible. Be clear. Be captivating”

On December 1-2, 2021, Equinet hosted a training to help communication experts from equality bodies countering hate speech on- as well as offline.  The training approached […]
November 29, 2021
sign showing a 'step free route' for wheelchair users

Accessibility of polling stations is at discretion of states, says European Court of Human Rights

European Court of Human Rights clarifies scope of positive obligations of national governments to ensure full accessibility to persons with disabilities
November 3, 2021
Scales of justice with the Czech flag in the background

Statutory limits of the anti-discrimination protection before Czech courts

The Czech Public Defender of Rights has mapped anti-discrimination case law of courts in civil proceedings in the period from 2015 to 2019. Apart from statistical data, they have analysed in particular compensation for intangible damage and sharing of burden of proof.
September 29, 2021
Blog Post: Call for Joint Action Exposing and tackling ageism together.

Call for Joint Action: Exposing and tackling ageism together

Ahead of the International Day of Older Persons (IDOP) on 1 October, the call for an international legal instrument to promote and protect the rights and dignity of older persons is getting louder. The IDOP is an excellent opportunity to highlight the important contributions that older persons make to society, the harms of ageism – stereotyping, prejudice, and/or discrimination of individuals or groups based on their age –  and to raise awareness of the issues and challenges of ageing in today’s society.
May 10, 2021

Why we need to REVEAL – Views on Racism & Data Collection in Europe

Equality data can be collected by means of surveys, censuses, administrative processes (e.g., employment data), complaints data or research, among other sources. Within these sources, any piece of information or set of values, whether qualitative or quantitative, that is useful for describing and analysing the state of equality can be referred to as equality data. Moreover, personal information connected to certain characteristics such as race or ethnic origin are considered sensitive data, and therefore it is more severely protected requiring the data subject’s informed consent.
April 29, 2021
young people of different backgrounds working together

Equality has no age limit: young people deserve better!

Ageism is based on negative perceptions of, attitudes and stereotypes towards people based on their age. While it affects the individual that is being discriminated against, and it also perpetuates the very stereotypes and attitudes it is based on. In this post, we’ll turn the spotlight on young people, examining the main challenges they face, while also outlining some suggestions on how policymakers, youth organisations and equality bodies can support change.
April 9, 2021

David against Goliath: Why the Institute for the Equality of Women and Men filed a criminal complaint against Twitter

Warning: this blog article mentions instances of sexual violence which could be triggering or disturbing for some readers.   The Institute for the Equality of Women and Men, the […]
September 14, 2020
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Let’s talk about sexual and reproductive health and rights: Not fully implemented before COVID-19 & suspended during the pandemic

This blog post outlines the pre-existing limitations in access to sexual and reproductive health and rights across Europe as well as the further violations we are now witnessing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. By looking at how equality bodies are responding, this article shows the unique role that NEBs play in ensuring access to SRHR.
July 28, 2020

Equality for Roma and Travellers: Time to Deliver

Equality Bodies accord high priority in their work to seeking improvement in the situation and experience of Roma and Travellers. They share a particular concern at the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Roma and Travellers and how inequality and disadvantage have left these communities ill-equipped to protect themselves from the pandemic.
July 27, 2020

Why Intersectionality is relevant for a fairer Europe

Initially hailed as the 'great equalizer,' the COVID-19 pandemic has, in reality, exposed the depth of institutional, structural, and systemic discrimination and inequality in our societies. The question for Europe now is not if discrimination and exclusion exist but rather how intersectionality serves as a tool to create a fairer, socially just, and more inclusive Europe for everyone.
June 19, 2020
Cover of recommendation

11 Recommendations for a fair and equal Europe: Rebuilding our Societies after Covid-19

Read Equinet's Recommendations for a fair and equal Europe as we rebuild our societies after Covid-19.
June 16, 2020

How can Equality Bodies put equality between women and men at the heart of the response to COVID-19 across Europe?

In April 2020, the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) published a policy brief, in which it shed light on the crucial issue that can no longer be ignored – the COVID-19 pandemic is reinforcing existing inequalities in our society and the long-term impacts of the health crisis will disproportionately affect women and girls.
June 12, 2020

The ban on full-face veils and the COVID-19 pandemic

Society has changed enormously in recent months. The world is under the spell of a pandemic. New manners and customs are appearing, such as no physical contact with others, new ways of greeting each other, social distancing and wearing face masks or alternatives is becoming the norm in public spaces. When it comes to this issue, the WHO is clear: wearing a medical mask can limit the spread of certain respiratory viral diseases, including COVID-19. From a human rights perspective, the latter trend is particularly interesting, especially if we take into account the fact that in some European countries wearing full-face veils in public spaces is prohibited by law and can lead to sanctions (i.e. fines, prison, administrative fines).
June 8, 2020

The other pandemic: Systemic racism and its consequences

The events of the last few days, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and following the death of George Floyd, have prompted an amplification of the racial justice movement in the United States that is resonating everywhere in the world, including in Europe. This blogpost aims to give some insight into this movement from a systemic racism point of view, highlighting how this is far from an isolated incident, but a part of a whole system of oppression that needs dismantling.
May 25, 2020

Persons with disabilities: locked up in institutions, forgotten by governments

I, as the communications coordinator for the European Disability Forum, have been following the COVID-19 impact since beginning of March. It has not been encouraging. Seeing how governments systematically forgot about persons with disabilities, how little support was given and how much pain and problems that created left me very discouraged. Persons with disabilities have been discriminated, isolated, forgotten and subject to multiple and severe human rights violations since the beginning of this crisis.
May 20, 2020

COVID-19 impact on equality: Equinet launches new online database

Equinet’s new interactive tool gives some insight into how National Equality Bodies (NEBs) are responding to the crisis, as well as the current trends which are appearing in its impact on equality across the region.