Back Improving redress against discrimination, notably through joint awareness initiatives, addressed by the key stakeholders in the Republic of Moldova

Improving redress against discrimination, notably through joint awareness initiatives, addressed by the key stakeholders in the Republic of Moldova

Main stakeholders and partners of the Council of Europe in the field of anti-discrimination, exchanged views on further actions to prevent and combat discrimination and promote equality at central and local level in the Republic of Moldova.

The first part of the meeting gathered the representatives of the Equality Council, People’s Advocate, General Police Inspectorate and General Prosecutor’s Office. Institution representatives, discussed the protection mechanisms available in cases of discrimination and violation of rights and the need to increase the awareness of citizens about the competences of the relevant institutions acting in this field and way to approach them on this subject. This meeting created a platform and a plan for further coordination and joint awareness raising actions to prevent and fight discrimination and hatred in the Republic of Moldova.

The second part of the meeting, along with the representatives of the above state institutions, involved also civil society organisations and focused on the "Protection mechanism against discrimination and bias motivated crimes at local level". Through this discussion, the participants exchanged experiences and ideas for identifying solutions and creating synergies to ensure protection of rights of vulnerable groups at local level. Discussions focused particularly on three vulnerable groups - Roma community, LGBTI and persons with disabilities, frequently subject to discrimination, hate speech and bias-motivated crime, listed in Article 134 of Law No 111 of 2022.

Participants stressed the importance of supporting civic activists at the local level and drew attention on the necessity to document cases of discrimination and encourage reporting of bias-motivated violence acts. The need to continue cooperation, efforts to develop a local culture of inclusion and non-discrimination and to train actors involved in preventing and investigating bias-motivated violence has been confirmed, as well as commitment to continue with activities that will lead to improvements in this field.

This event is part of the European Union and 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 “Combating discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes in the Republic of Moldova”.

Chisinau, Republic of Moldova 20 September 2023
  • Diminuer la taille du texte
  • Augmenter la taille du texte
  • Imprimer la page
Strasbourg, France Strasbourg, 1-2 July 2024
  • Diminuer la taille du texte
  • Augmenter la taille du texte
  • Imprimer la page
  • Imprimer en PDF
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”.

Follow us on social media