2018 - Commissioner's Human Rights Comment

Human rights Comment

The right of older persons to dignity and autonomy in care

18/01/2018 Strasbourg

Older persons have exactly the same rights as everyone else, but when it comes to the implementation of these rights, they face a number of specific challenges. For example, they often face age discrimination, particular forms of social exclusion, economic marginalisation due to inadequate...

Read More

Human Rights Comment

Europe’s duty to internally displaced persons

29/05/2018 Strasbourg

People are forced to leave their homes for different reasons, ranging from war and violence to natural disasters and climate change. However, this does not always entail the crossing of an internationally recognised border. Even if they do not leave their country, people who flee their homes are...

Read More

Human Rights Comment

Safeguarding human rights in the era of artificial intelligence

03/07/2018 Strasbourg

The use of artificial intelligence in our everyday lives is on the increase, and it now covers many fields of activity. Something as seemingly banal as avoiding a traffic jam through the use of a smart navigation system, or receiving targeted offers from a trusted retailer is the result of big...

Read More

Human Rights Comment

Keeping the promise: ending poverty and inequality

24/07/2018 Strasbourg

Poverty and inequality are closely interlinked. People living in poverty are much more likely to be relegated to low-income work, poor housing, and inadequate health care, as well as to experience unemployment and face barriers to lifelong learning. Being born into a low-income household often...

Read More

Human Rights Comment

Open minds are needed to improve the protection of LGBTI asylum seekers in Europe

11/10/2018 Strasbourg

In many states around the world, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons face serious violations of their human rights on account of their sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics. These include killings, violence, the criminalisation of same-sex...

Read More

Human Rights Comment

Misuse of anti-terror legislation threatens freedom of expression

04/12/2018 Strasbourg

When terrorism spreads, states are often tempted to restrict fundamental freedoms for the sake of fighting it and preventing further attacks. Terrorism constitutes a serious threat to human rights and democracy and action by states is necessary to prevent and effectively sanction terrorist acts....

Read More

Human Rights Comment

Paris Principles at 25: Strong National Human Rights Institutions Needed More Than Ever

18/12/2018 Strasbourg

25 years after the international community first formally embraced the idea of creating national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights through the endorsement of the Paris Principles, it is obvious that independent and effective national human rights institutions are every...

Read More