The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights addressing discrimination based on race and ethnic origin
Illustration by Maqué Studio
Equality Bodies with the mandate to protect individuals from discrimination related to their racial and ethnic background ensure the preservation and respect of fundamental rights for all.
In the Donetsk region of Ukraine, a number of individuals of Roma ethnicity were stopped by armed guards at the checkpoints of Zaporizhzhia and Toretsk, without an official explanation and they were subsequently transported to police stations.
A Coalition of Roma NGOs in Ukraine presented a complaint to the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights. The Commissioner found that at these checkpoints, Roma community members were subjected to ethnic profiling, a clear breach of national minorities’ equality rights.
In response to the Commissioner’s actions, the police initiated an internal investigation and committed to preventing future infringements of citizens’ rights based on ethnicity or any other grounds.
Are you interested in knowing more about how Equinet and Equality Bodies address discrimination based on race and ethnic origin?
- “Tackling Institutional Racism: Realising the Potential of Equality Bodies” is an Equinet perspective which looks at the definitions of institutional racism, the ways in which Equality Bodies can work to tackle this, and what challenges or enablers they may experience along the way.
- In 2021, Equinet organised a conference on institutional and structural racism in order to call attention to these issues and the potential of Equality Bodies in addressing them. Following the conference, we hosted an online workshop focusing on the particular expressions of racism experienced by people of African descent and the responses Equality Bodies can provide to these. You can watch the recording of the workshop and read the workshop summary on the related webpage.
- In 2022, Equinet organised a workshop on NAPARs and National Roma Strategic Frameworks. Following the 2022 workshop, in 2023, Equinet organised an online workshop aimed at exploring how Equality Bodies can and should contribute to National Roma Strategic Frameworks. You can watch the recording of the workshop and read the workshop summary on the related webpage.
- Equinet is an active member of the DisQo network, led by the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA). With the other 59 member organisations, we have been working towards identifying actions to reduce the impact of racism and discrimination on both mental and physical health inequities, and in May 2023 we released a DisQo joint statement on stronger action against racism and discrimination in access to health. Most recently, and ahead of the 2024 EU Elections, DisQo released a statement calling for racism, discrimination and health to become a priority on the European Union’s political agenda.
- In 2024, Equinet will organise in collaboration with EPHA a workshop on Equality Bodies and racialised communities’ access to healthcare, with a focus on Roma people and on the role Equality Bodies may play in collaborating with National Roma Contact Points (NRCPs) and promoting equal access to healthcare. Stay tuned!