The Council of Europe HELP course on Fight against Racism, Xenophobia, Homophobia, Transphobia was launched in an online seminar gathering legal professionals (judges, prosecutors and lawyers) from EU member states and beyond. The online session was held on 29 April 2021 and was organised by the EU-CoE "HELP in the EU II" project.

The participants got familiarised with the Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) Programme of the Council of Europe and its online platform which includes a catalogue of almost 40 courses on human rights.

The group was welcomed by Eva Pastrana, Head of HELP Unit, Council of Europe.

The online seminar started with a presentation by Zeynep Usal-Kanzler from the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance Unit (ECRI), Council of Europe, who gave an overview of the work of ECRI on Combatting Racism and Xenophobia. Tudorel Taba from the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Unit (SOGI), Council of Europe, presented  the relevant Council of Europe standards on Combatting Homophobia and Transphobia. Nevena Peneva from the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights offered details on the work of the EU FRA related to non-discrimination.

Ana-Maria Telbis, coordinator of the EU-CoE “HELP in the EU II” project, presented the HELP Programme and the EU funded project and introduced the participants to the HELP online platform as well as the updated edition of the HELP course on Fight against Racism, Xenophobia, Homophobia, Transphobia.

The tutors, Frédérique Ast and Ivana Roagna, will be guiding the participants through the course in the following weeks. They offered details on the implementation of the course, presented the materials prepared for the adaptation of the course and also pinpointed some practical challenges concerning Fight against Racism, Xenophobia, Homophobia, Transphobia. The participants also had the possibility to share their expectations from the course and exchange with their colleagues.

Following the online launch event, all participants will be enrolled on the course page and will go through the online course. Those among them who successfully complete it will receive HELP certificates issued by the Council of Europe.

The updated HELP course “Fight against Racism, Xenophobia, Homophobia and Transphobia” covers in an interactive way the key concepts, the European (CoE and EU) non-discrimination law, the impressive body of case law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), in addition to decisions of the European Committee of Social Rights. One of the key reference materials to develop this course has been the Handbook on European non-discrimination law prepared jointly by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency and the European Court of Human Rights.

The course has been produced within the EU-CoE “HELP in the 28” Project. It was updated in 2021 under the EU-CoE “HELP in the EU II” project to contain the most recent developments, especially in terms of the case law of the European courts. The update process involved several representatives of relevant CoE services, namely the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Unit (SOGI), European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) and the Registry of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)..

The course consists of 3 general modules on Introduction, Key Concepts and Legal Framework, as well as 2 specific modules on Racism and Xenophobia, and Homophobia and Transphobia respectively.

The HELP online course on Fight Against Racism, Xenophobia, Homophobia and Transphobia is also available in a self-learning format on the HELP e-learning platform to any legal professional interested in the topic. It requires 6-7 hour of online study. A former version of this updated and redesigned course is also available in French as well as Croatian, German, Greek, Italian, Montenegrin, Romanian and Spanish. Those who complete it in self-learning mode can obtain an electronic ‘Statement of accomplishment’.