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Yes we can, as European social NGOs, improve your social situation at national level. How? By using a collective complaint mechanism to defend your rights enshrined in the European Social Charter.  

I felt really great last week during a joint seminar with the Council of Europe when I had the honour to meet with our members who are fighting on the ground in order to improve people’s lives. At Social Platform, no less than 15 of our 47 members have the status to lodge a complaint against one of the 15 EU member states that ratified the collective complaint mechanism. Already FEANTSA, ATD Fourth World, Autism Europe and IPPF have complained to address a concerning situation in one country.  (read our article on the seminar) 

Let me give you an example of what our members do. In 2006 in France, some people did not have access to running water or electricity and were repeatedly evicted from their homes leading to among others their children not being able to attend school. The Committee of the Social Charter acknowledged that France was not implementing its legislation on the right to housing. The result of the complaint was that the families’ voices were finally heard and since then, France has introduced new legislation: the enforceable right to housing. There you go! However, the social charter is not a magic wand – homelessness has increased by 50% in France since 2001. What it does do is provide a powerful instrument to people and NGOs to directly address governments and their policies. 

My invitation is the following: are you concerned that one of the 15 member states does not respect your rights to housing, to social security, to education, to health, to non-discrimination? Do you have evidence on how national policy or practice goes against the social charter? Our members have the possibility to lodge a complaint on your behalf – to change the laws and positively affect your life.

If there is one thing I have to say it is that the collective complaint mechanism is good but it is limited to only 15 member states.

I will leave my conclusion to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, who last week urged European governments and international organisations to pay greater attention to social and economic rights when implementing austerity measures. “The information to be published shows that the economic crisis and austerity policies have clearly had a negative impact on social and economic rights across Europe. Benefits are being restricted and people moving between countries to live or find work are often being unfairly treated.All Council of Europe member states should ratify the latest version of the European Social Charter and also sign up to the complaints mechanism which helps to make sure it is put into practice”. I could not have said it better.

Let’s engage

Pierre Baussand – Director