Equinet - European network of equality bodies

The ongoing migration crisis and the terror attacks were the key factors that influenced public debate and policies in Europe in 2015, said the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) in its annual report published today.

On 10 May 2016, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) issued its General Policy Recommendations no. 16 on Safeguarding Irregularly Present Migrants from Discrimination. With these recommendations, ECRI seeks to support states in addressing a pressing issue of discrimination against individuals - women, men and children - who do not, or no longer, fulfil the conditions under national law for entry or stay in a member State of the Council of Europe.

On 28 April, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) published a practical guidance on combating hate crime. The publication, entitled "Ensuring justice for hate crime victims: professional perspectives" draws on practices from across the European Union (EU) on how to combat hate crime as well as interviews with experts from law enforcement, criminal justice, and civil society organisations.

This report, the first of four related studies of the issue, was commissioned jointly by the Open Society Justice Initiative, the Open Society Foundations’ Roma Initiatives, and the Roma Education Fund. It probes concrete instances of strategic litigation—in three European countries—aimed at securing equal educational opportunity for Roma children. Other studies will examine strategic litigation impacts on equal access to quality education beyond Europe, torture, and land rights.

Black people experience widespread racism and discrimination across the EU and in all areas of life, including employment, education, policing and the criminal justice system. This is the conclusion of the European Network Against Racism’s Shadow Report on Afrophobia in Europe, the first pan-European qualitative survey on people of African descent and Black Europeans.

On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) issued guidelines to all 47 member States of the Council of Europe on how to prevent hate speech, support those targeted by it, and deal with its consequences.

Today, 16 March 2016, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) publishes its report ‘Professionally speaking: challenges to achieving equality for LGBT people’. The report will be launched at the European Parliament’s Intergroup on LGBTI Rights. The meeting is the first in a series where the Intergroup seeks to deepen its understanding on the challenges faced by public bodies and service providers towards LGBTI people to enhance the protection of their rights, notably in education, healthcare, law enforcement and LGBTI policy making.

On 29 February 2016, the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) launched its new Gender Statistics Database, which provides a one-stop source for information on the situation of equality between women and men in the European Union (EU).
This tool can be easily used by experienced professionals and non-experts, and provides automatically updated data to ensure an accurate access to information.

To celebrate International Women’s Day, the European Commission published its annual report on ’Equality between Women and Men’, containing the most up-to date data on gender equality in the European Union (EU) and its Member States, and reviewing concrete actions undertaken in 2015 by the EU, its Member States and civil society to promote gender equality.

For many LGBT young people homophobic and transphobic bullying are serious issues that not only limit and prevent the formation of a positive identity but hinder them from feeling safe, supported and affirmed for who they are in school. This resource for post-primary schools offers information on providing safe, supportive and affirmative environments for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) young people in schools.