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Combating hate speech through human rights education in Armenia

Two online training sessions on “Combating hate speech through human rights education” for educators and youth workers in Armenia, raised awareness on hate speech and on the importance of promoting a human rights education in their work, both in the formal and non-formal systems.

The first online meeting, titled "Moving Forward Together: Enabling Youth Participation and Discrediting Hate Speech and Bullying Via Education” focused on following up to earlier online exchanges and updating participants of the project. As an aftermath of the meeting, a roadmap for future cooperation was also envisaged. The second online meeting titled "Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Innovative Technologies: Threat or Opportunity to Combat Hate Speech Online?" addressed the topic of hate speech and AI, exploring the threats and possibilities that new technologies bring to combating hate speech online.

This series of activities presents a continuation of the training program designed for 20 teachers and youth work trainers from all 11 regions of Armenia held in an online format from March to May 2021. The purpose of this follow-up is to introduce some new tools and standards, including the Manual on combating hate speech online, also developed under the second phase of the Partnership for Good Governance. These events will be followed by one in-person training scheduled for November 2023 that will be also used as a platform for exchange on current activities, existing initiatives and potential future ones that could be implemented with the support of the Council of Europe in the future.

The event is part of the European Union and the Council of Europe joint programme “Partnership for Good Governance”, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe, in the framework of the project “Promoting equality and non-discrimination in Armenia”.

Armenia 26-28 October 2023
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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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