14508/09 ADD 1 PL/vk 1 DG G COUNCIL OF THE ... - Europa

Member States report on increased public-awareness-raising campaigns on the issue of the human
rights of women. In Austria, for instance, human-rights education has been integrated into the core
curriculum in schools, and in Latvia free consultations on legal matters within the framework of
specific projects have been provided. In some MS, national reports to CEDAW have been translated
into the native language and disseminated to the public (DE,HU, PT). In other MS, a National
Institution for the Protection of Human Rights has been established (CY, LT, LU, SK). Some of
these have the mandate to handle complaints from victims of discrimination, to monitor respect for
human rights and to serve as an advisory body to the Government in these issues. In some MS,
National Action Plans for Human Rights have been established (ES, SE).
Several MS report on the need to tackle the problems relating to multiple inequalities. Malta, for
instance, has initiated the MOSAIC – One in Diversity project with the aim of highlighting the six
grounds of discrimination. In the United Kingdom, moreover, new equality legislation – the
Equality Bill – will be introduced in mid 2009. This new bill will strengthen existing anti-
discrimination legislation, and it will also introduce a new public sector – Equality Duty – which
will integrate and build on the success of the three existing duties on race, gender and disability and
which will extend to cover the remaining equality strands: age, sexual orientation, religion and
belief and gender reassignment. Similarly, in many MS, (for instance BE and LT), new anti-
discrimination laws have been enacted in order better to combat discrimination based on several
discrimination grounds. In other countries, such as Latvia, the absence of a single and integrated act
is being addressed.
In Estonia, the Gender Equality Commissioner has received an extended mandate, having to take
into consideration discrimination or equal treatment based on nationality, race, colour, religion or
belief, age disability or sexual orientation. In Romania, the National Agency for Roma People has
been developing programs regarding the enforcement and social protection of Roma women and
girls. Similar activities are noted in the report by Hungary. Also in Romania the National Agency
for Equal Opportunity between women and men (ANES) has been involved in specific activities
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