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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.

EU Charter of Fundamental Rights

Highlights

  • Data explorer
    06 May 2020

    LGBTI Survey Data Explorer

    A total of 139,799 persons aged 15 years or older who describe themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or intersex (LGBTI) completed the online EU-LGBTI II Survey in all EU Member States and the candidate countries of North Macedonia and Serbia.
  • Diversity equality inclusion on notes
    Opinion
    30
    April
    2021

    Equality in the EU 20 years on from the initial implementation of the equality directives

    This opinion illustrates the extent and nature of lived experiences of inequality and discrimination across the EU. It does so with reference to the grounds of discrimination and areas of life covered by the racial and employment equality directives, as well as in relation to the grounds and areas covered by the proposed Equal Treatment Directive.
    Download the summary in English and French
  • Report / Paper / Summary
    28
    November
    2018

    Being Black in the EU

    Almost twenty years after adoption of EU laws forbidding discrimination, people of African descent in the EU face widespread and entrenched prejudice and exclusion. This report outlines selected results from FRA's second large-scale EU-wide survey on migrants and minorities (EU-MIDIS II). It examines the experiences of almost 6,000 people of African descent in 12 EU Member States.
    Summary available in 9 languages
    Explore the data
    Read the press release
  • Report / Paper / Summary
    6
    December
    2017

    Second European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey - Main results

    Seventeen years after adoption of EU laws that forbid discrimination, immigrants, descendants of immigrants, and minority ethnic groups continue to face widespread discrimination across the EU and in all areas of life – most often when seeking employment. For many, discrimination is a recurring experience. This is just one of the findings of FRA’s second European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey (EU-MIDIS II), which collected information from over 25,500 respondents with different ethnic minority and immigrant backgrounds across all 28 EU Member States.
    Read press release
    Explore the data
    Watch findings video
Táirgí
Video
Equality, non-discrimination and racism
Justice, victims’ rights and judicial cooperation
Victims’ rights
Children, youth and older people

Children and justice: your right to protection and legal representation

Children should always be supported by a professional support person when they are involved in judicial proceedings, such as being at court. This could be, for example, a social worker or a legal counsellor.
Video
Equality, non-discrimination and racism
Justice, victims’ rights and judicial cooperation
Victims’ rights
Children, youth and older people

Children and justice: your rights

Children should always be supported by a professional support person when they are involved in judicial proceedings, such as being at court. This could be, for example, a social worker or a legal counsellor.
Access all videos
Download related reports
Video
Equality, non-discrimination and racism
Justice, victims’ rights and judicial cooperation
Victims’ rights
Children, youth and older people

Children and justice: your right to information

During judicial proceedings, such as being at court, children should always be told what is going on. The information should be presented in a child-friendly and understandable way.
© UNICEF / Georgiev
Report / Paper / Summary
Child protection
Asylum, migration and borders
Equality, non-discrimination and racism
Children, youth and older people
16
October
2015

Guardianship systems for children deprived of parental care in the European Union

This report explores the key features of guardianship systems put in place to cater for the needs of all children in need of protection, including child victims and those at risk of becoming victims of trafficking in human beings or of other forms of exploitation. The research covers four specific areas, namely the type of guardianship systems in place, the profile of appointed guardians, the appointment procedures, and the tasks of the guardians.
Report / Paper / Summary
Hate crime
Equality, non-discrimination and racism
30
September
2015

Antisemitism - Overview of data available in the European Union 2004-2014

Antisemitism can be expressed in the form of verbal and physical attacks, threats, harassment, property damage, graffiti or other forms of text, including on the internet. This report relates to manifestations of antisemitism as they are recorded by official and unofficial sources in the 28 European Union (EU) Member States.
Report / Paper / Summary
Equality, non-discrimination and racism
Hate crime
Racial and ethnic origin
30
September
2015

Promoting respect and diversity - Combating intolerance and hate

Regardless of ethnic origin, religion or belief, everyone living in the Union has a fundamental right to be treated equally, to be respected and to be protected from violence. This contribution paper to the Annual Colloquium
on Fundamental Rights provides evidence of the fact that such respect is lacking, and suggests ways in which governments can ensure they fulfil their duty to safeguard this right for everyone living in the EU.
Fundamental Rights Report
Asylum, migration and borders
Sex, sexual orientation and gender
Hate crime
Data protection, privacy and new technologies
Sex, sexual orientation and gender
People with disabilities
Equality, non-discrimination and racism
Children, youth and older people
Roma
25
June
2015

Fundamental rights: challenges and achievements in 2014 - Annual report

European Union (EU) Member States and institutions introduced a number of legal and policy measures in 2014 to safeguard fundamental rights in the EU. Notwithstanding these efforts, a great deal remains to be done, and it can be seen that the situation in some areas is alarming: the number of migrants rescued or apprehended at sea as they were trying to reach Europe’s borders quadrupled over 2013; more than a quarter of children in the EU are at risk of poverty or social exclusion; and an increasing number of political parties use xenophobic and anti-immigrant rhetoric in their campaigns, potentially increasing some people’s vulnerability to becoming victims of crime or hate crime.
Page
Asylum, migration and borders
Equality, non-discrimination and racism

Asylum, borders, immigration and integration

An estimated 3,280 persons died at sea in 2014 while attempting to reach a haven in Europe, and the number of those rescued or apprehended at sea quadrupled compared with 2013. The number of displaced persons worldwide reached Second World War levels in 2014. Many move on from where they first arrive, with Germany and Sweden together receiving almost half of the asylum applications submitted in the EU.
Page
Children, youth and older people
People with disabilities
Equality, non-discrimination and racism
Roma

Rights of the Child

Europe and the world celebrated the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 2014. Despite considerable progress in those 25 years, some old challenges remain and new ones have arisen. The latest data show that 27.6 % of children in Europe – more than 26 million – are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Many families with children have difficulties paying for their rent or mortgage, heating, school materials and even food. The legal protection of child victims of violence or sexual abuse and children without parental care was significantly reinforced and relevant policies were developed.
Page
Justice, victims’ rights and judicial cooperation
Equality, non-discrimination and racism
Sex, sexual orientation and gender
Sex, sexual orientation and gender

Access to justice, including rights of crime victims

New strategic guidelines in the area of freedom, security and justice by the European Council placed increasing mutual trust, strengthening the protection of victims and reinforcing the rights of accused persons and suspects high on the EU policy agenda. Many EU Member States adopted new laws or reformed existing laws and policies in this area, while efforts continued at UN, Council of Europe and EU level to strengthen the rule of law, judicial independence and the efficiency of justice systems, as cornerstones of a democratic society.
Page
Roma
Hate crime
Equality, non-discrimination and racism
Children, youth and older people

Roma integration

EU Member States continued their efforts to improve Roma integration by implementing their national Roma integration strategies following the Council Recommendation of December 2013 on effective Roma integration measures. FRA supports these efforts by regularly collecting data and working with the Member States to develop monitoring methods that allow for efficient reporting on the situation of Roma in the Member States over time.
Page
Hate crime
Equality, non-discrimination and racism
Roma

Racism, xenophobia and related intolerance

Barriers persist in implementing effectively European Union (EU) legislation that prohibits and penalises manifestations of racism, xenophobia and ethnic discrimination. The sixth year of the economic crisis and turbulent developments in the Middle East and North Africa are raising concerns and considerations for migration and integration policies in the EU.
Report / Paper / Summary
Sex, sexual orientation and gender
Equality, non-discrimination and racism
12
May
2015

The fundamental rights situation of intersex people

This paper examines the legal situation of intersex people from a fundamental rights perspective. It draws on evidence from the Agency’s updated legal analysis on homophobia, transphobia, and discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, which now includes a section on intersex issues.
Report / Paper / Summary
People with disabilities
Equality, non-discrimination and racism
Support for human rights systems and defenders
Inter-governmental human rights systems
11
May
2015

Implementing the UN CRPD: An overview of legal reforms in EU Member States

A new Focus paper by the EU Agency of Fundamental Rights (FRA) outlines how Member States across the EU have reformed their laws and policies to meet their obligations under the CRPD. By bringing together examples of such reforms, it also highlights how the adoption of international commitments can drive wide-ranging processes of change at the national level.
Report / Paper / Summary
Children, youth and older people
Equality, non-discrimination and racism
Justice, victims’ rights and judicial cooperation
Victims’ rights
5
May
2015

Child-friendly justice – Perspectives and experiences of professionals on children’s participation in civil and criminal judicial proceedings in 10 EU Member States

Each year thousands of children take part in criminal and civil judicial proceedings, affected by parental divorce
or as victims or witnesses to crime. Such proceedings can be stressful for anyone. The European Union Agency
for Fundamental Rights (FRA) investigated whether children’s rights are respected in these proceedings.
Video
Equality, non-discrimination and racism
Justice, victims’ rights and judicial cooperation
Victims’ rights
Children, youth and older people

Children and justice: your right to be heard

Children need to be heard and be involved in all issues that concern them. This includes the justice system.
Video
Equality, non-discrimination and racism
Justice, victims’ rights and judicial cooperation
Victims’ rights
Children, youth and older people

Children and justice: professionals' perspective and experiences

Children need to be heard and be involved in all issues that concern them. This includes the justice system.
©majivecka/Shutterstock
Report / Paper / Summary
Hate crime
Equality, non-discrimination and racism
People with disabilities
30
March
2015

Equal protection for all victims of hate crime - The case of people with disabilities

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.
Report / Paper / Summary
Justice, victims’ rights and judicial cooperation
Equality, non-discrimination and racism
Racial and ethnic origin
Victims’ rights
12
January
2015

Victims of crime in the EU: the extent and nature of support for victims

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.
Report / Paper / Summary
Sex, sexual orientation and gender
Equality, non-discrimination and racism
Hate crime
9
December
2014

Being Trans in the EU - Comparative analysis of the EU LGBT survey data

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.