The Council of Europe has called on Ukraine to strengthen protections for Roma and LGBTI people

The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) of the Council of Europe has positively assessed Ukraine’s progress in ensuring equality. At the same time, the commission called on Ukrainian authorities to strengthen measures to protect the Roma community and the LGBTI community from discrimination, as well as to more actively combat hate crimes.

“Since the adoption of the ECRI’s fifth report on Ukraine on June 20, 2017, progress has been made and best practices have been developed in many areas,” the document’s summary states.

Among the positive changes, experts highlighted the increased activity of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, the expansion of police training on investigating hate crimes, and the adoption of strategies for Roma inclusion. The report also notes a significant improvement in public attitudes toward LGBTI equality.

At the same time, Roma and LGBTI people remain particularly vulnerable to hate speech.

“Many cases of hate crimes continue to be incorrectly classified and prosecuted as ordinary offenses, particularly hooliganism,” the document emphasizes.

The report contains 15 recommendations for the Ukrainian authorities, two of which are identified as priorities. The first calls for conducting, in collaboration with civil society, information and awareness campaigns against hate speech, particularly regarding LGBTI individuals and Roma.

The second is the creation of a working group to identify Roma who need identity documents and to assist them in obtaining these documents, in particular by simplifying administrative procedures. The ECRI will assess the implementation of these two recommendations as part of its interim monitoring no later than two years after the report’s publication.

The Commission also recommends combating LGBTI-phobic bullying in schools, improving access to healthcare, ensuring quality education for Roma children, and providing the Ombudsman with adequate human and financial resources.

The report covers the period from June 2017 to March 2026 and takes into account the exceptional circumstances of Russian aggression. It does not cover the situation in the temporarily occupied territories or the situation of Ukrainians who have been forced to flee abroad: the ECHR assesses the latter as part of its monitoring of other countries.

This is stated in the ECHR’s new report on Ukraine, released on October 21 in Strasbourg.

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