Unia is here for you - coronavirus or not
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?
You have made a complaint about discrimination
- We still assess every complaint we receive. In view of the circumstances, your complaint may take a little longer than usual to process.
You wish to make a complaint about discrimination
- As your first course of action, please use the online complaint form.
- Our free phone number 0800 12 800 is accessible Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9.30 am to 1.00 pm.
- Our offices (headquarters in Brussels and local contact points) are currently closed. In other words, we are not arranging face-to-face meetings at present.
You have booked coaching, training or seminars through Unia
- Please email any questions about Unia-related activities to your Unia contact.
You have questions about the respect of fundamental rights during the crisis
Unia analyses the negative consequences of government sanitary measures on the fundamental rights of certain groups of the population. Read more about this.
You would like more information on diversity
- Our eDiv online diversity training module is still available in French and Dutch and is 100% free of charge. It may be helpful when applying a diversity policy in the workplace.
- All Unia publications are available from our website.
Our staff operate mostly from home and continue to do their work to the best of their ability. Their effort and dedication has not diminished.
Comparable articles
Unia filed a record number of discrimination cases in 2021
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.
Unia takes a stand for getting along together, even in times of corona crisis
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.”
Number of reports of discrimination rises by over 13%
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 recognised internationally as a National Human Rights Institution
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.