July 27, 2020
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 16, 2020
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
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 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
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
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.
May 4, 2020
All of this is hard. We are living unprecedented times, but global response to the crisis should address its potential impact on marginalised groups, including LGBTI people, and their access to healthcare and safety at home, as well as to watch out for discriminatory practices and measures.
April 22, 2020
Week after week, COVID-19 reveals uncomfortable realities about the unequal societies we live in. All over the world, we have been urged to stay home, by authorities and through the #stayathome campaign. But one of the most blatant truths that we must face is that, for many women and children, home is the most dangerous place to stay.
April 10, 2020
As the COVID-19 situation develops, it is vital that the core values of equality and non-discrimination continue to be protected and promoted for all. In this blog post, a brief snapshot will be given of some of the main trends of discrimination and inequality related to the COVID-19 crisis that NEBs are seeing in their national work and some of the ways that they are addressing these issues.
November 16, 2020
During the past years, equality bodies all over Europe have increased their efforts to protect the rights of transgender persons, and are lately intensifying also the […]
October 29, 2020
The 2020 Equinet calendar includes cases from: Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, Ireland Equal Treatment Authority, Hungary Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination, Albania Commission for […]
September 10, 2020
In order to identify how equality bodies could best contribute to developing European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) jurisprudence, the Equinet Equality Law Working Group monitored Article 14 cases to identify those that are directly relevant to equality and non-discrimination and the work of equality bodies. Read their findings in our Compendium
July 29, 2020
Equinet has submitted its first third-party intervention before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in the case of Franc TOPLAK v. Slovenia and Iztok MRAK v. Slovenia. This is the first time that the Court will decide on the merits of a case regarding the structural problem of physical accessibility to polling stations regarding persons with disabilities, and the positive duties States have to ensure effective accessibility.
July 23, 2020
The European Commission’s EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies 2011-2020 draws to its conclusion this year. This perspective seeks to assist the Commission in preparing a post 2020 EU Framework by gathering, analysing and presenting the work and experience of equality bodies across Europe in responding to the situation, experience, and specific needs of Roma and Traveller communities.
July 16, 2020
In 2019, equality bodies were at the forefront of important initiatives in the field of equality. From making work places harassment-free to combatting hate speech in election campaigns, equality bodies work has never been more important!
June 19, 2020
Read Equinet's Recommendations for a fair and equal Europe as we rebuild our societies after Covid-19.
June 10, 2020
The Report: “Regulating AI: The new role for equality bodies” brings together the results of the study whilst showcasing the current work of NEBs and includes a set of recommendations for the future work of Equinet and its members.
April 22, 2020
Equinet seeks to contribute to the current moment of transition in the European Institutions with this perspective, which seeks to draw out the learning from the work of equality bodies that might inform the development of new equality policy strategies, review of the equal treatment Directives, implementation of the standards for equality bodies and further action on equality data.