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 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.
May 4, 2020

COVID-19: What is the specific impact on LGBTI people in Europe?

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
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When staying home is dangerous: fighting the rise of domestic violence in Europe

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.
September 27, 2019

Slovenia: Regular Annual Report 2018

The Advocate of the Principle of Equality for the Republic of Slovenia published its annual report for the year 2018. After its second fully operational year as an independent national equality body, the report looks back at the process of establishing the body in accordance with the Slovenian Protection Against Discrimination Act (PADA) and the activities undertaken to address discrimination in the country.
July 22, 2019

Czech Republic: LGBT people suffer discrimination 3x more than general public

The results are out of the Czech Ombudswoman & Prague Pride Association's survey among lesbians, gays, bisexuals and trans people in the Czech Republic.
July 9, 2019

Declaration on the Role of Equality Bodies: 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Equality and non-discrimination are deeply embedded in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
May 2, 2019

The Compendium of Practices on Equality Data

Equality data is defined as any piece of information that is useful for the purposes of describing and analysing the state of equality. Across the EU, […]
May 2, 2019

France: Defender of Rights sees deepening Inequalities

The Defender of Rights Annual Report for 2018 was presented by Jacques Toubon on 11 March. It meticulously analyses the work of the French equality body in its […]
May 2, 2019

Czech Republic: Annual Report on the protection against Discrimination 2018

The Czech Public Defender of Rights published its annual report for the year 2018. Although the number of complaints received have slightly dropped in the last year, many […]
March 19, 2019

Equality Bodies and Equinet – Promoting Equality in Europe

Equinet Brochure 2020 What are equality bodies? Why do we need them? What challenges do they face? This brochure aims to raise awareness about the role of […]
February 21, 2019

Luxembourg: Recruitment without Discrimination

The principle of equal treatment should be in place for every candidate applying for a job in any given company. This short guide informs people about: […]
February 21, 2019

European Parliament says stereotypical depiction of LGBTI people in media needs to be addressed

The report on gender equality in the media sector in the EU (Šojdrová report) calls for a greater focus on professional training and education activities as […]