On the occasion of its 70th anniversary, the Council of Europe with the support of the City of Strasbourg, the French Ministry of National Education and Youth and the European Youth Forum is holding the "Enter! Youth Week: our rights, our lives” from 8 to 11 July 2019 in Strasbourg. More...

The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) today published the report on its October 2018 visit to the Czech Republic. The report assesses the treatment and safeguards afforded to persons deprived of their liberty by the police, the situation in several prisons, a psychiatric hospital and a social care home. More...

In a report published today, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) concludes that Andorra has made progress in its legislation and policies to prevent and combat human trafficking, but also requests that the authorities take further action in a number of areas. More...

The law prohibiting educational violence, unanimously adopted yesterday by the Senate, bans cruel and degrading treatment, including all recourse to corporal violence by parents exercising their parental authority vis-à-vis their children. More...

The Council of Europe’s anti-torture committee (CPT) in its new report published today praised certain improvements in the conditions and treatment of foreigners detained under aliens legislation in the establishments visited in December 2018, but called for urgent measures to improve the poor state of healthcare services and to facilitate effective communication of detainees within the establishments and with the outside world. More...

“Sexting” by children (generating, receiving and sharing sexually suggestive or explicit images/videos of themselves through mobile technology) does not amount to conduct related to “child pornography”, when it is intended solely for the children’s own private use. Children coerced into such conduct should be addressed to victim support and not subjected to criminal prosecution. More...

“Increased inequality is a major challenge for Europe and social rights’ protection across the Continent should be a top priority. I call on our member states for more commitment to the Social Charter”, highlighted Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland, on the 20th anniversary of the Revised Social Charter’s entry into force. More...

Today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, published a report on the visit to Poland she carried out from 11 to 15 March 2019. The report focuses on the independence of the judiciary and the prosecution service, women’s sexual and reproductive rights, gender equality and domestic violence. More...

PACE has called on the Russian authorities to “re-open and continue” their investigation into the murder of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, listing a number of “serious concerns” over its independence and effectiveness. More...

The Assembly today expressed its concern about the “serious threats” faced by migrant children on their way to Europe and important gaps in the policies and procedures, which limit the legal opportunities for migration in Europe. "Once in Europe, migrant children can also be subject to abuse in detention centres or transit zones, sexual assault and violence, or live on the streets to avoid deportation. They are also at risk of being sexually exploited or of being exploited as undocumented workers,” the parliamentarians said. More...