Implementation of human rights standards remains unsatisfactory, CoE czar

The Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg has complained in his annual report that European nations are too slow in implementing changes to their legal systems when human rights are breached. “What I have seen and heard during my activities in 2010 has made me deeply impatient,” Hammarberg said, who visited Malta in a field report he made on its detention system this year. One of his concerns is the rise in xenophobic and racist tendencies. “Nationalist and extremist groups have exploited these feelings for electoral purposes and too little has been done to oppose these extremist tendencies. I have been disappointed that leading politicians have not stood up more strongly for human rights principles in public discourse.” Xenophobic tendencies have influenced policies on migration, including the reception of refugees and asylum-seekers, he said. “More is needed to establish humane migration management. As illustrated by the current crisis in North Africa, we need a new common European policy on migration and asylum which also distributes the responsibility for reception more evenly and fairly among member states.” As concerns media freedom, the Commissioner observed shortcomings in several European states. “Some governments take action to prevent even modest and peaceful criticism in the media. Public service broadcasting is made dependent on government guidance and frequencies for radio and television have been allocated on political criteria. “Media pluralism is also threatened by monopolistic tendencies and oligarch ownership of media outlets.” The Commissioner noted the increase in inequalities in Europe. “Austerity budgets tend to have a more negative impact on the most vulnerable groups of people, including children, the elderly and persons with disabilities. The right to a decent job is undermined by high unemployment rates – which in turn may become a threat to social cohesion and stability in society.” He also stressed that it was crucial to pay closer attention to the situation of women. “Domestic violence, discrimination in the labour market, and poor political and managerial representations are some of the problems which prevent women from playing an equal role in our societies. This is shameful and inexcusable and has lasted for too long.”