The number of complaints recorded in 2021 sadly surpassed the 10,000 mark. Unia, as a result, filed 2,379 individual cases of discrimination, hate speech or acts of hate - a record number.

Pandemic or not, we are here to combat discrimination. Unia is here to listen and to help. Subject, of course, to the appropriate precautions. How does this affect you?

The corona crisis that is gripping our country has fuelled mutual distrust among citizens. “We notice that there is a strong tendency to look for culprits or scapegoats”, says Els Keytsman, director of Unia. “This is a trend that we must counteract. Nobody benefits from it. We would do much better to support the countless forms of solidarity created by the pandemic. The corona crisis is certainly not over yet. We have to learn to live with this virus without destroying the solidarity in our society.”  

In 2019, Unia saw a continued upward trend in the number of reports and cases concerning discrimination. ‘The number of reports was 13.2% higher than in 2018, while the caseload increased by 6.9%. On social media, we are seeing harsher language, about people with disabilities, Muslims and refugees, for example’, says Unia director Els Keytsman. ‘There is a normalisation of hate speech on social media, as well as on the street.’

Unia was recently recognised as a national institution for the protection of human rights, B status, by the competent international bodies. Unia received this recognition for its independence and commitment to human rights, such as the right to equal opportunities and non-discrimination.

On May 9, Unia launched websites on which municipal politicians and officials can find advice and concrete examples on how to boost equal opportunities at the local level.

Below is an editorial written by Patrick Charlier, co-director of Unia, published today in La Libre. Unia will defend his assessment of the Antidiscrimination Law this Wednesday at the Commission: we need to fill the gaps.

Unia received no fewer than 5,619 reports of discrimination in 2016. These led to 1,907 case files being opened concerning possible discrimination, hate speech or hate crimes. This represents an increase of 20 percent from 2015. 

The discourse on the Internet is becoming coarser. In order to make it a safer and fairer environment, a number of bodies such as Unia and the European Commission are joining forces. ‘Surfers are no longer hiding their racist speech or xenophobia. They sometimes seem to be proud of it’, says Unia director Els Keytsman.