January 8, 2019
Hate speech and hate crime are growing and damaging phenomena across Europe. This is recognised in the work of the European Commission and of the Council of Europe. European standards for equality bodies recommend that their mandate be extended to include hate speech. Few equality bodies have an explicit mandate on hate speech, many have, however, interpreted their mandate to include hate speech. This situation can leave them lacking the competences and resources required to make an impact.
December 19, 2018
This Equinet report has been prepared by the Gender Equality Working Group with the aim to help equality bodies and other institutions to better understand the […]
December 14, 2018
On 5 December 2018, the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency (FADA) published the results of a survey on inadmissible questions at job interviews. The survey investigates the extent to which applicants are sensitised to the inadmissibility of questions regarding the characteristics protected under the General Act on Equal Treatment in job interviews, and whether they had ever faced such questions in the past. In addition, attitudes towards anonymised job application procedures were surveyed.
December 10, 2018
The latest publication of the European network of legal experts in gender equality and non-discrimination, "Equality bodies making a difference", focuses on the important work of equality bodies, looking at the diversity, potential and context of equality bodies, and then focusing on different aspects of standards for equality bodies, such as institutional architecture, independence, effectiveness and accessibility. The impact of equality bodies on society is also addressed, as well as proposals for useful measures at EU, national and equality body level.
December 7, 2018
On the occasion of the Equinet board meeting in Vienna, the Austrian Ombud for Equal Treatment is hosting a side-event in the House of the European Union to discuss the links between the UN-Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and equality bodies.
December 3, 2018
A new Mental Health Charter for employers and service providers has been launched in Northern Ireland. The Charter, jointly produced by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI), Action Mental Health, Disability Action, Mindwise, Mental Health Foundation and Niamh, provides a framework for working towards mentally healthy workplaces.
November 29, 2018
Cost and fears about how they will be treated, or consequences for their immigration status, are preventing people seeking or refused asylum from using health services, a new report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission has found, prompting a call for greater separation of the immigration and healthcare systems.
Their new research explores the experiences of people who are or have been in the asylum process in Britain, as well as engaging with healthcare professionals and analysing existing research.
November 28, 2018
16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign starting on 25 November, the International Day to End Violence against Women. The members of the Gender Equality Working Group and the Project on Violence Against Women discussed ways in which Equinet could be involved in this initative. The members decided to launch a social media campaign that will highlight good practices from different equality bodies on ways to tackle violence against women.
November 26, 2018
As the UK’s departure from the European Union approaches, the British Government is preparing to take on the new responsibility of trade negotiations. The Trade Bill currently passing through the British Parliament is laying the groundwork for this. Civil society has called for the inclusion of Human Rights and Democracy clauses that are at least equal to the EU’s standards, and others emphasise that this is also an opportunity to introduce higher standards.