The European Union (EU) urges its members to “control and coordinately protect” the fundamental rights of the most discriminated groups during the covid pandemic, which are children at risk of social exclusion, refugees and members of the LGTBI community.

In its annual report, published this Wednesday, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) considers it urgent to use the community fund for the recovery of the pandemic, of 724,000 million euros, to also guarantee the fundamental rights threatened by the fight against the coronavirus.

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Although there is unprecedented financial support after the pandemic, “support for children and the most vulnerable citizens will only be effective if their rights are controlled and protected in a coordinated way,” says the FRA, an agency based in Vienna.

education gap

During school closures to avoid contagion with covid-19, the existing digital divide has further accentuated educational inequalities among the youngesthighlights the report.

Especially affected are the more than 18 million European children who live on the poverty line and without access to the necessary tools to connect to the Internet.

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The FRA recalls that in the first EU strategy on the Rights of the Child approved this year by the European Commission (EC), the need to monitor the situation of minor asylum seekers was determined, of which in 2021 there were registered 167,000 in community territory.

In particular, the agency highlights the importance of avoiding indiscriminate detentions of immigrants at the borders, especially in countries such as Poland, Greece, Hungary and Croatia.

The violent returns violated a number of fundamental rights, summarizes the FRA, including the right to life and the prohibition of collective expulsions, which go against articles 24 and 48 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

The European Commission itself considers that respect for fundamental rights at borders is one of the main challenges of the Twenty-seven.

According to the FRA report, more than 3,400 people died at sea and land borders trying to reach Europe last year.

LGTBI-phobia

On the other hand, the document highlights the discrimination that many members of the LGTBI communities still suffer from some members of the community club.

In this context, it recalls the infringement procedure opened last year by the EC against Hungary for prohibiting access to LGTBI content for those under 18 years of age, alleging “behavior deviated from traditional gender roles”.

The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe ruled that these political measures against the collective, promoted by the Hungarian Prime Minister, the ultra-nationalist Viktor Orbán, are incompatible with human rights and have the objective of “manipulating and entrenching prejudices to obtain political gain” .

Racism

At the same time, the coronavirus pandemic has also had an impact on increasing racism in Europe, warns the FRA.

For example, online hate crimes increased in 2021including racist demonstrations registered in countries such as Austria, Albania, Ireland, Spain, Cyprus, Serbia, Italy and Slovakia, in which immigrants and ethnic minorities were accused of spreading the coronavirus.

Most immigrants arriving in Europe continue to face racism and individual, employment, educational and housing discrimination, warns the FRA.

He denounces that discrimination even comes from the European security forces, which the European agency urges to suppress the elaboration of ethnic profiles against people perceived as Roma or immigrants. (YO)