Equality

Equality, non-discrimination and racism

Equality is a core value of the EU. You have the right to fair treatment regardless of who you are, what you believe, or how you chose to live.

We carry out research and share expertise to help fight discrimination, inequality and racism in all its forms.

Highlights

Products
Children need to be heard and be involved in all issues that concern them. This includes the justice system.
FRA in close cooperation with the European Commission and the Academic Network of European Disability Experts (ANED), developed 28 human rights indicators to assess the political participation of persons with disabilities in the EU.
30
March
2015
This paper discusses the difficulties faced by people with disabilities who become victims of hate crime, and the different legal frameworks in place to protect such victims in the EU’s Member States. It ends by listing a number of suggestions for improving the situation at both the legislative and policy levels.
12
January
2015
The rights of victims of crime to access justice and to be protected against repeat victimisation may remain illusory in practice if the victim fails to receive professional advice and support. This research by the European Union Agency
for Fundamental Rights (FRA) examines support service provision for such victims across the 28 EU Member States, in line with the 2012 EU Victims’ Directive. It focuses not on abstract fundamental rights standards but on the final
practical results.
9
December
2014
Trans persons, or those whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from the sex assigned them at birth, face frequent discrimination, harassment and violence across the European Union (EU) today. This reality triggers fears that persuade many to hide or disguise their true selves. This report examines issues of equal treatment and discrimination on two grounds, namely sexual orientation and gender identity. It analyses data on the experiences of 6,579 trans respondents from the EU Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) survey, the largest body of empirical evidence of its kind to date.
6
November
2014
Children and young people are increasingly involved in research and decision making on different aspects of rights which relate to them. EU Member States have different rules, regulations and guidelines regarding the participation of children in research, in particular concerning ethics approval and informed consent.
This video was shown in the beginning of the high-level conference “Tackling sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination: next steps in EU and Member State policy making”.
29
October
2014
Primarily using data and information collected from five EU Member States, this paper briefly describes the phenomenon of forced marriage and selected legislative measures taken to address it. It lists promising practices
for the prevention of forced marriage and for supporting victims. The paper covers only one among many forms of violence against women analysed by FRA in its Violence against women: an EU-wide survey. Main results report (2014).
28
October
2014
In light of a lack of comparable data on the respect, protection and fulfilment of the fundamental rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons, FRA launched in 2012 its European Union (EU) online survey of LGBT persons’ experiences of discrimination, violence and harassment.
24
October
2014
Antisemitism can be expressed in the form of verbal and physical attacks, threats, harassment, property damage, graffiti or other forms of text, including hate speech on the internet.
29
September
2014
This document provides clear explanations for children of the key terms used in the child-friendly justice project. It explains what rights are and how these rights should be protected during legal proceedings.
9
July
2014
The EU and its Member States took a variety of important steps in 2013 to protect and promote fundamental rights by
assuming
new international commitments, revamping legislation and pursuing innovative policies on the ground. Yet, fundamental
rights violations seized the spotlight with distressing frequency: would‑be migrants drowning off the EU’s coast,
unprecedented mass surveillance, racist and extremist‑motivated murders, child poverty and Roma deprivation.
30
June
2014
This handbook aims to strengthen the protection of children, specifically addressing the particular needs of child victims of trafficking.
6
June
2014
This year’s FRA annual report looks at fundamental rights-related developments in asylum, immigration and integration; border control and visa policy; information society, respect for private life and data protection; the rights of the child and the protection of children; equality and non-discrimination; racism, xenophobia and related intolerance; access to justice and judicial cooperation; rights of crime victims; EU Member States and international obligations.
21
May
2014
The opportunity to be involved in political life, whether by standing for elected office, joining a political party, or following political news stories in the media, is at the heart of what it means to live in a democratic society. The report analyses data on the situation of political participation of persons with disabilities collected from across the 28 European Union (EU) Member States by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and the European Commission-funded Academic Network of European Disability Experts (ANED).
5
March
2014
This factsheet presents some examples of survey findings, which are placed alongside general considerations as possible ‘ways forward’ for responding to violence against women.
5
March
2014
This FRA survey is the first of its kind on violence against women across the 28 Member States of the European Union (EU). It is based on interviews with 42,000 women across the EU, who were asked about their experiences of physical, sexual and psychological violence, including incidents of intimate partner violence (‘domestic violence’).
FRA helps EU institutions and countries in the European Union (EU), so-called EU Member States, to ensure that the rights of all people including children are respected. It collects information about rights across the EU and gives advice on how to improve the conditions of vulnerable people such as migrants, asylum seekers, victims of violence, racism and hate crime.
European Day of Persons with Disabilities is a time to remind ourselves of the urgent need to live up to our commitments to achieve equality for all. This is especially pressing since the European Disability Strategy will end in 2020.
Today marks 30 years of the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child – a landmark human rights treaty. It changed how adults view and treat children. But despite considerable progress in Europe, basic challenges, such as child poverty, remain.
Last year FRA published its report on the experiences of almost 6,000 people of African descent in 12 EU Member States.
Without adequate data, government and civil society cannot formulate effective responses to antisemitism that continues to haunt Europe. FRA’s latest annual overview of antisemitism data 2008-2018 identifies large gaps in recording antisemitic incidents in a way that allows to collect adequate official data across the EU.
The Irish police force, the Garda Síochána, invited FRA to give a presentation on the experiences of discrimination, harassment and violence of Muslims and people of African descent across the EU.
The Austrian Chamber of Labour organised a workshop to discuss the results of a recent study on discrimination with experts from European institutions, trade unions, Equality bodies and civil society.
On 26 September, FRA took part in a panel discussion on memory, stereotypes and preventing antisemitism following an invitation from the Office of the Antismitism Coordinator of North Rhine Westphalia.
FRA took part in the high-level conference in Paris from 26 to 27 September to mark the 25th Anniversary of the Council of Europe’s European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI).
Migrant women face multiple challenges fully integrating into European society. This is often due to inequalities resulting from the combined effect of their gender, migrant status and ethnic background, as FRA’s latest report testifies. It underlines the need for targeted, gender-sensitive measures to compensate for such inequalities.
Many young Jewish Europeans face antisemitic harassment in Europe, but are also very resilient as they clearly express their Jewish identity, finds a report published today by the European Commission and FRA. Rising hate speech and intolerance towards them shows the urgent need for continued concerted efforts to adequately address society’s longstanding and persistent hostility towards Jews.
The dataset from FRA’s second antisemitism survey is now available for further use by researchers. The dataset contains a wealth of information from over 16,000 Jews in 12 EU Member States about their perceptions and experiences of antisemitism.
FRA took part a roundtable discussion on combatting anti-Muslim hatred and discrimination and a workshop on synergies and good practices on tackling anti-Muslim racism and discrimination.
On 20 June in Brussels, FRA took part in the first meeting of the European Commission working group on the implementation of the Council Declaration on the fight against antisemitism.
Many people across the EU risk being left behind, as growing intolerance and attacks on people’s fundamental rights continue to erode the considerable progress achieved to date, finds FRA’s Fundamental Rights Report 2019.
The summary outlining the main findings of FRA’s second survey on Jewish people’s experiences of hate crime, discrimination and antisemitism in the EU – the biggest survey of Jewish people ever conducted worldwide - are now available online in 12 languages: Croatian, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Romanian Spanish and Swedish.
Across Europe, recent elections and referendums have made one thing very clear: voting matters. How we vote – and whether we vote at all – can change our societies for generations.
Karoline Edtstadler, State Secretary at the Austrian Ministry of the Interior, and Ariel Muzicant, Vice-President of the European Jewish Congress, will speak at an event in Vienna on 30 April which addresses antisemitism in Austria.
Too many people with an ethnic or migrant background are still being held back in the job market. This is despite laws against racial discrimination and for equal opportunities in employment that have been in place for decades, the heads of three European human rights institutions said in a joint statement on today’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Across the EU, many Member States are improving their equality data to help policymakers combat discrimination and challenge prejudices. To inspire others, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights has just published an online compendium of nearly 40 practices from 15 countries on the collection and use of equality data.
The Romanian Presidency of the EU Council held a conference on the fight against antisemitism: a common approach to better protect Jewish communities in Europe – from policy to action.
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On 16 and 17 October the High Level group on combating racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance will meet in Vienna.
A delegation from the Swedish Parliament’s EU Committee secretariat visits the Agency on 3 September.
The Agency will join a round table discussion on combating antisemitism on 12 September in The Hague.
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On 12 and 13 July 2018, the FRA Director Michael O’Flaherty will participate in the informal Justice and Home Affairs Council in Innsbruck at the invitation of the Austrian presidency.
The AJC’s Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights together with Dr Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, have convened an expert consultation on monitoring and combatting antisemitism.
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As a result of the Agency’s outreach to funders and foundations, the Ariadne network invited the Agency to participate in a workshop on countering racial and religious discrimination.
The FRA Director will join discussions on freedom of religion, antisemitism and Islamophobia during a joint meeting of the Council’s Working Parties on Human Rights (COHOM) and on Fundamental Rights, Citizens Rights and Free Movement of Persons (FREMP).
On 14 June, the Agency will attend the Council’s Working Party on 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Brussels.
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On 13 and 14 June the High Level group on combatting racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance will meet in Brussels.
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The Agency will contribute to the seventh meeting of the Education and Training 2020 Working Group on promoting citizenship and the common values of freedom, tolerance and non-discrimination through education.
The Council of Europe’s European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) will hold its annual seminar for Member States’ Equality Bodies on 24 May.
The Agency will take part in a meeting of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance in Rome on 29 May.
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The European Parliament is hosting a week of activities to honour people of African descent, between 14 and 17 May.
On 30 April, the Agency will take part in a conference at King’s College, London on countering radicalisation and safeguarding human rights.
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On 22 and 23 May in Sofia, the Agency will give presentations to the Bulgarian EU Presidency seminar on ‘Holocaust, antisemitism the rise of hate crime and hate speech’
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The Subgroup on Equality Data will gather on 26-27 April in Brussels for its first formal meeting to start work on preparing a set of non-binding guidelines on improving the collection and use of equality data in EU Member States
The Austrian Ombud for Equal Treatment is hosting a workshop for the national roll out of the Agency’s second minorities and discrimination survey (EU-MIDIS II) on 18 April in Vienna