23/04/2012 Equality and Non-Discrimination
“Fighting discrimination against LGBT people is at the heart of the Council of Europe’s mission”, Håkon Haugli (Norway, SOC), PACE General Rapporteur on the rights of LGBTs said when presenting the priorities of his mandate.
“LGBTs should enjoy all human rights, and not different or lesser rights as other people. In my capacity as General Rapporteur, I have set myself the objectives of pushing for the effective protection of fundamental rights and freedoms for LGBTs, giving more visibility to the need to tackle discrimination against them and raising awareness that this is a human rights issue, especially among legislators. I will focus my activities on freedom of expression, freedom of association and peaceful assembly, and the fight against hate crimes and hate speech”, he added.
The Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination held a hearing on the rights of LGBT people, with the participation of Maud de Boer Buquicchio, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Evelyne Paradis, Executive Director of ILGA Europe, the International lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex association and Kate Jones, Deputy permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the Council of Europe.
The hearing highlighted worrying trends, such as the increase of bullism on the basis of sexual orientation in schools and the adoption by a number of local and regional authorities in some Council of Europe member states of legislation against ‘the promotion of homosexuality’, which not only runs against freedom of expression but also risks creating a climate of stigmatisation and intolerance.