Rights

For everyone to fully participate and contribute to society we need to combat discrimination in all its forms and ensure equality in every sector. That is why human rights and equality is at the core of all our work

Human rights in Europe are called ‘fundamental rights’ and these set the minimum legal standards to ensure a person is treated with dignity and is free from discrimination. When carrying out EU law member states are committed to the Charter of Fundamental Rights which gathers all civil, political, economic and social rights of European citizens and people living in the EU.

Yet social rights are still treated as separate to fundamental rights and social status is not a legal ground for discrimination in EU law. Social rights are about the right to education, the right to an adequate standard of living, and the right to health. If you don’t have your social rights you can be at risk of poverty and social exclusion which increases the risk of discrimination, while discrimination in itself can lead to social exclusion and poverty.

• Social Platform’s taskforce on an EU internal Human Rights Strategy (access only for members)