Unia, the equal opportunities centre, received 7,577 reports last year, averaging nearly 20 per day, marking an increase from the previous year’s 6,706, according to the annual report released on Tuesday.
From these reports, 1,831 cases were opened, although the figure has now returned to a level similar to that of 2019. The centre noted a significant rise in cases during 2020 and 2021, partly due to Covid measures. Over the last five years, reports have mostly concerned the domains of work (1,849 reports), goods and services (1,479), and media (1,326).
The majority of reports involved racial criteria (39%), disability (23%), or religion and belief (8%). Racial criteria include skin colour, origin, nationality, and ethnic or racial background. The Flemish region recorded the highest number of reports, but Unia observes a slight upward trend in reports from Wallonia and Brussels in recent years.
Unia is concerned about growing polarisation and the presence of extremist groups in society. The rise of artificial intelligence is also viewed as a new threat to human rights. Additionally, there is concern about the phenomenon where individuals arrange via online platforms to commit homophobic violence. “These attacks instil fear among those who identify as part of the LGBTI+ community,” stated Unia.
The centre tracks events that trigger multiple reports. The incident with the most reports was politician Georges-Louis Bouchez’s statements on Radio Judaica concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Unia also received numerous reports in response to Herman Brusselmans’ column in Humo and about the LIDL Plus loyalty card and NMBS multi-ride card being available solely in digital format.
“With many challenges inherent in societal evolution, such as increasingly intense polarisation of debates, sometimes excessive digitalisation of access to goods and services, and insufficiently regulated use of artificial intelligence, our democracies must equip themselves with solid and independent institutions to face modernity without leaving anyone behind,” concludes Els Keytsman, director of Unia. “In this regard, Unia is more necessary than ever.”
The annual report also highlights that the federal government will reduce the centre’s funding by 25%, as announced in the government agreement. “This decision seems to have been made without thorough evaluation or needs analysis.”
