Report: European Union Failing To Protect Human Rights Of Most Vulnerable

By Human Rights  Watch Photos: YouTube Screenshots European Union and its member states renewed their commitments to uphold and protect rights in 2023, but they have persistently failed to translate these commitments into practice, Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2024. EU migration policies have contributed to deaths, torture, and abuse. EU states have failed to tackle attacks on and structural discrimination against members of marginalized communities. The EU has failed to act in the face of growing curbs on rule of law and civil society by member states and has exhibited double standards in its foreign policy. “There is a troubling gap between the EU’s commitments and its practices on human rights, and people are paying the price,” said Benjamin Ward, deputy Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “If the EU aspires to be a beacon of human rights in a troubled world, it needs to prioritize rights in practice, not just on paper.” In the 740-page World Report 2024, its 34th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In her introductory essay, Executive Director Tirana Hassan says that 2023 was a consequential year not only for human...