Human Rights Comment
Time to take action against SLAPPs
Free speech is a cherished right in Europe. But in some countries, certain rich and powerful people use specious lawsuits to censor, harass and ultimately suppress critics. This is a long-standing problem but one that has been increasing in magnitude in recent months. Journalists, activists, and...
Human Rights Comment
Comprehensive sexuality education protects children and helps build a safer, inclusive society
Sexuality is an integral part of human life. Children and young people have the right to receive reliable, science-based and comprehensive information about it. Yet, sexuality education in schools is a sensitive issue. Ever since it was first introduced in European school curricula in the 1970’s,...
Human Rights Comment
Tapping the full potential of Equality Bodies for a fairer Europe
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), the Equality Body covering England, Scotland and Wales, recently launched an inquiry into statistical evidence showing that COVID-19 had a disproportionate effect on people of Black, Asian and other ethnic minority background, and whether this...
Human Rights Comment
Learning from the pandemic to better fulfil the right to health
The COVID-19 pandemic has concentrated minds about the resilience of our health care systems and it is challenging member states’ health policies and their effectiveness. In addition, doctors, medical staff and health care staff are under unprecedented pressure. Do we have sufficient medical...
Human Rights Comment
The right to affordable housing: Europe’s neglected duty
Increasingly making the headlines, the scarcity of affordable housing in Europe is a serious and growing problem that pushes an ever-larger number of people into housing insecurity and homelessness. Unless governments in Europe step in to take decisive measures to turn back the tide, this crisis...
- Artificial intelligence
- Children's rights
- Counter terrorism
- Covid-19
- Discrimination
- Economic crisis
- Education
- Freedom of assembly
- Freedom of expression
- Gender equality
- Human rights defenders
- Justice system
- Lgbti
- Media freedom
- Migration
- Persons with disabilities
- Racism
- Roma
- Statelessness
- Terrorism
- Torture
- Transitional justice
- Violence
- Women's rights
Human Rights Comment
Access to official documents is crucial – let’s make it a reality
People have the right to know what those in power are doing. This was the basis on which the Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents was adopted more than ten years ago in Tromsø, Norway. This Convention is the first binding international legal instrument to recognise a...
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