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Deinstitutionalisation of people with disabilities

It is time to stop putting persons with disabilities into institutions

17/03/2022 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

It is time to stop putting persons with disabilities into institutions, but rather to help them transition to supported independent living, says PACE’s Social Affairs Committee. Unanimously adopting a draft resolution, as well as a draft recommendation to governments, based on a report by Reina...

Addressing sexual violence against children
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Eradicating extreme child poverty in Europe by 2030

17/03/2022 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

According to the Committee on Social Affairs, extreme child poverty is far from being eradicated, and has even resumed its expansion before the covid-19 pandemic, confirming the collective failure of public policies to combat this phenomenon. The report by Pierre-Alain Fridez (Switzerland, SOC...

Child and the internet, children
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Digital devices should have built-in adult content blockers to protect children

17/03/2022 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

All digital devices should have easy-to-use parental controls and tools for filtering and blocking pornographic material built into them by default in order to combat children's exposure to adult content, the PACE Social Affairs Committee said. These control tools should be “systematically...

Virtual meeting

In a world of global connection and growing pressures, how should work change?

17/03/2022 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

Globalisation, digitalisation, new technologies and the Covid-19 pandemic have moved more and more people into hybrid and fully remote work (teleworking), but how should government policies and legal frameworks adapt to this new reality? How can the well-being of people at work be maintained when...

PACE launches a new network of parliamentarians to press for a healthy environment

27/01/2022 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

PACE today launches a new Parliamentary Network for a Healthy Environment, bringing together almost 30 parliamentarians from some 20 different parliaments across the Council of Europe area to demand that governments create a legal right to a healthy environment and take other urgent steps to deal...

Drugs medicine

Preventing addiction to prescription medicines: more work needed on finding the right balance

03/12/2021 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

A PACE committee is calling for “a careful balance” to be struck between ensuring patients have access to the prescription medicines they need and preventing addiction to them. The Assembly’s Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development, approving a draft resolution and...

Children’s views should be heard whenever decisions affecting their lives are made

03/12/2021 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

It is time for governments and parliaments to ensure that children’s views are taken into account “whenever decisions affecting their lives are made”, a PACE committee has declared. The Assembly’s Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development, approving a draft resolution and...

Inaction on climate change: a violation of children's rights

03/12/2021 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

The lack of action to tackle climate change is a violation of children's rights, according to the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development, in particular with regard to “the right to life, development, health and medical care, education, a good standard of living, and...

Vaccine / COVID

The Covid-19 situation: 'No-one is safe until everyone is safe'

01/12/2021 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

The Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development expressed its concern about the rapidly evolving Covid-19 pandemic. Adopting a statement today unanimously, it recommended “global equitable distribution of vaccines”, which is vital to protect public health. “No-one is safe...

"The Lake" - short film encouraging children to speak out about sexual abuse within the circle of trust

New Council of Europe film revisits the choice made by a young girl facing sexual abuse within her circle...

18/11/2021 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

To mark End Child Sex Abuse Day (18 November 2021), the Council of Europe is launching a new short film which encourages children and young people to “break the silence” over sexual abuse within their circle of trust. Around a Lake, created by acclaimed French filmmaker Roland Edzard, is a follow...

Right to a healthy environment
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Committee proposes draft of a new protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights on the right to a...

09/09/2021 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

PACE’s Social Affairs Committee is urging an ambitious new legal framework, both at national and European level, to “anchor the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment” – and has presented a draft of an additional protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights which would...

Socio-economic inequalities in Europe and social rights
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Socio-economic inequalities in Europe: restoring social trust by strengthening social rights

09/09/2021 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

Europe’s prosperity has been seemingly growing for decades but disparities have kept widening between and within countries. These inequalities not only negatively affect individuals and communities, but “also restrain overall economic development, undermine social justice, and hurt the...