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Zero tolerance for female genital mutilation
As part of broader efforts to combat all forms of violence against women and girls, the European Union (EU) is committed to working collectively to eradicate female genital mutilation (FGM) and to supporting its Member States' efforts in this field. The European Commission assesses EU measures to combat FGM every year, on or around 6 February – the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation. This publication is a further update of an 'at a glance' note originally published ...
Understanding EU data protection policy
The 'datafication' of everyday life and data scandals have made the protection of personal information an increasingly important social, legal and political matter for the EU. In recent years, awareness of data rights has grown considerably. The right to privacy and the right to protection of personal data are both enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU and in the EU Treaties. The entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty in 2009 gave the Charter the same legal value as the Treaties ...
Bans on conversion 'therapies': The situation in selected EU Member States
LGBTI conversion 'therapies' are practices that can be defined as 'any treatment aimed at changing a person's sexual orientation or gender identity'. Ways to implement them include psychotherapy, medication, electroshock therapy, aversive treatments and exorcism. An alternative term used to describe these practices is sexual orientation and gender identity-expression change efforts (SOGIECE). They can bring about suicidal thoughts but also permanent physical harm, suicide attempts, depression, anxiety ...
Newly proposed GDPR procedural rules: Improving efficiency and consistency
Ever since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) became applicable in May 2018, the European Parliament and civil society organisations have been flagging up deficits in its enforcement, and pushing for better implementation. To address the situation, in July 2023 the European Commission tabled a proposal aimed at improving GDPR enforcement. The proposal seeks to support the smooth functioning and timely completion of enforcement procedures in cross-border cases. To this end, the Commission ...
Understanding EU policies for people with disabilities
The EU and its Member States have signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and use its definition of disability as a common reference at EU level. There is no other harmonised definition of disability in the EU. The recent introduction of the Global Activity Limitation Instrument indicator (GALI) in most of Eurostat's social and economic surveys offers the opportunity to have a clearer assessment of disability in the EU than before. It confirms that in 2023 the prevalence ...
Combating child sexual abuse online
Online child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) and grooming practices (manipulation aimed at exploiting and abusing people), now increasingly targeting younger children, have been proliferating at an alarming rate. In 2023, the more than 36.2 million reports of suspected online child sexual abuse represented a historical peak. Reports of grooming rose by more than 300 % between 2021 and 2023. Most activities detected were hosted in Europe. In response to this situation, on 11 May 2022 the European Commission ...
Young people and the news
Media consumption patterns have changed profoundly in recent years, creating challenges for traditional news companies. News media are now faced with digitally native younger generations who often pay more attention to influencers and celebrities than they do to journalists, even when it comes to news. The teaching of media literacy skills is more necessary than ever to help people – especially children and young people – understand the difference between news circulating on social media and news ...
Criminalisation of hate speech and hate crime in selected EU countries
Hate speech and hate crime can destroy lives, harm people and property, threaten individual rights, terrify communities, reduce trust between members of society, create and amplify tensions between social groups, disturb public peace and order, and endanger peaceful coexistence. Hate speech distorts public debate and, at its worst, leads to an abuse of rights that endangers the rule of law. Hate speech and hate crime are incompatible with the EU's common values and fundamental rights, as enshrined ...
Common approach on return policy
An effective return policy to remove from the EU third-country nationals who do not have the right to stay on EU territory requires common rules and procedures in the EU Member States. These must be implemented in accordance with fundamental rights obligations and with the principle of non refoulement. A robust framework for cooperation with third countries that are willing to accept returnees is also necessary Efforts to increase the number of returns have been a feature of EU migration policy for ...
Violence against children in the European Union: Current situation
Violence against children takes various forms and occurs in different contexts. It can have serious, harmful consequences in both the short and long term, and estimates of the scale of the problem are alarming. Resulting from a complex interaction of various risk factors, this violence can nevertheless be avoided through effective prevention policies. A number of international instruments have been adopted to safeguard and promote children's rights. The cornerstone in this framework of instruments ...