Back Raising awareness in Armenia among disabled people about protection against discrimination

Raising awareness in Armenia among disabled people about protection against discrimination

On 26 March, 2 and 13 April, the non-profit organisation (NGO) Unison conducted three seminars for NGOs, women with disabilities and people with disabilities within the framework of the project "Combating Discrimination on the Grounds of Disability in Armenia".

This project is supported through a grant by the European Union and Council of Europe regional anti-discrimination project for the Eastern Partnership. Over 40 participants attended the events and learnt more about forms of discrimination on the grounds of disability and the remedies and ways to overcome discrimination.

The seminars were moderated by the project coordination and UNISON director, Armen Alaverdyan. The speakers were Ara Ghazaryan, lawyer, international expert of the Council of Europe, Monica Sargsyan, Head of the Department for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of the RA Human Rights Defender's Office and anti-discrimination expert Sergey Harutyunyan.

The workshops were interactive and allowed for discussion and exchanges of views, during which the participants shared their experiences and concerns. Disability discrimination remains very problematic in Armenia, and many efforts need to be made to improve the accessibility, the legislation and practice in ensuring the full inclusion and access of disabled people.

The views expressed during the seminars can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of either party.

The seminars were organised as part of a project of UNISON supported through the project “Strengthening access to justice for victims of discrimination, hate crime and hate speech in Eastern Partnership countries”, funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe under their Partnership for Good Governance II (2019-2021).

Armenia 13 April 2021
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Strasbourg, France Strasbourg, 1-2 July 2024
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Addressing hate speech and hate crime: regional gathering of the network of Equality Bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership Region

A two-day workshop on addressing hate speech and hate crime took place at the premises of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, involving Equality bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership regions.  The event supported by the EU and Council of Europe, gathered 50 representatives from both regions who discussed and exchanged on the best practices, measures and common challenges when addressing hate speech and hate crime. Through monitoring and reporting, policy advocacy, raising awareness and supporting victims equality bodies play a fundamental role in protecting human rights and ensuring that all individuals are treated equally.

In her opening remarks, Angela Longo, Head of Anti-discrimination Co-operation Unit, Council of Europe, underlined the significant progress in engaging with Equality Bodies through this network, regularly exchanging best practices and addressing the challenges of hatred and intolerance in societies. She highlighted that this new chapter of discussion delves into the grey area between hate speech and hate crime, addressing issues of incitement and biases,

Representatives from Equality Bodies had the opportunity to discuss and enhance their knowledge on the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers Recommendation to member States on combating hate crime, adopted on 7th May 2024, as well as gain a clearer understanding of EU standards in the field of hate crime. Moreover, participants engaged in exchanges with peers from the Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia (OBERAXE), who shared insights on addressing hate speech in the public discourse. The National Office Against Racial Discrimination (UNAR) in Italy provided practical examples for developing counter-narratives and raising awareness initiatives.

They also explored opportunities to advocate for legislative reform, foster multisectoral co-operation, enhance data collection, and overall improve national mechanisms to counter hate crimes.

This seminar was organised within the action “Promoting equality and combating racism and intolerance in the Western Balkans” and the project “Promoting equality and non-discrimination: towards more resilient and inclusive societies” – co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe  under the joint Programmes “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” and “Partnership for Good Governance”.

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