Meklēt

Hate speech and hate crime are incompatible with the European Union's common values and fundamental rights, as enshrined in the European Union (EU) Treaties and in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. EU law criminalises hate speech and hate crime, but only if it is related to a limited set of characteristics, namely: race, colour, religion, descent or national or ethnic origin. Legislative developments, case-law and policy initiatives have helped to create more equal and welcoming societies – including ...

In recent years, the European Union has faced a significant number of asylum applications, with over 513 000 applications received in the first half of 2024 alone. Women and girls make up a substantial proportion of asylum seekers, with one in three asylum-seekers being female. In international law, the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention is the main instrument regulating asylum. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Istanbul Convention provide a framework ...

Equality between men and women is one of the key foundational principles of the European Union. Despite much progress, however, significant gaps persist between men and women regarding employment opportunities and income levels. Taxation can either mitigate or exacerbate these gender inequalities. On 13 January 2025, the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Tax Matters (FISC) is due to hold a public hearing on the topic.

LGBTI conversion 'therapies' are practices that can be defined as 'any treatment aimed at changing a person's sexual orientation or gender identity'. Ways to implement them include psychotherapy, medication, electroshock therapy, aversive treatments and exorcism. An alternative term used to describe these practices is sexual orientation and gender identity-expression change efforts (SOGIECE). They can bring about suicidal thoughts but also permanent physical harm, suicide attempts, depression, anxiety ...

The European disability rights strategy for 2021-2030 is due to be updated, since the list of initiatives published in 2021 only goes up to 2025. During its December plenary session, Parliament is expected to hold a debate on the new initiatives the European Commission should commit to for the 2025-2030 period.

The EU and its Member States have signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and use its definition of disability as a common reference at EU level. There is no other harmonised definition of disability in the EU. The recent introduction of the Global Activity Limitation Instrument indicator (GALI) in most of Eurostat's social and economic surveys offers the opportunity to have a clearer assessment of disability in the EU than before. It confirms that in 2023 the prevalence ...

Since its creation in the 1950s, the European Economic Community, and today's European Union, has had the power to promote equality between women and men, initially in employment and later also in other areas of life. EU action has driven significant progress, even if disparities persist in many areas. To secure this progress, the EU has enabled Member States to implement positive action measures in favour of women and has adopted ground-breaking legislative and non-legislative measures, such as ...

Human trafficking is a serious crime and a violation of human rights. It has been on the rise because of increasing mobility, the spread of internet use and the generally low risks and high profit involved. The true extent of the problem can only be estimated, as complete statistics are not available and data are difficult to collect. However, even without exact numbers, it can be observed that a victim's gender influences the likelihood, manner and purpose of their being exploited. Available data ...

Every year, on 20 November, the world celebrates World Children's Day; this year marked the 35th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Adopted in 1989, the convention was the first international instrument to explicitly recognise children as human beings with innate rights. Ratified by 196 countries, including all EU Member States, it has become the landmark treaty on children's rights, outlining universal standards for the care, treatment, survival, development ...

During the European Parliament's November II plenary session, the European Commission is scheduled to make a statement, and Parliament to hold a debate, on recent legislation targeting LGBTI persons and the need for protecting the rule of law and a discrimination-free EU.