On June 25, the Human Rights Defender of Armenia Ms.
Anahit Manasyan organized a discussion on the role of educational institutions
in the fight against hate speech.
The aim of the event was to discuss with the
representatives of higher educational institutions the standards regulating
hate speech, the role of educational institutions in the fight against the
phenomenon, and the future steps of implementing internal mechanisms to counter
hate speech in educational institutions.
The Human Rights Defender Ms. Anahit Manasyan, Minister
of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Ms. Zhanna Andreasyan, the Head of
Anti-Discrimination Cooperation Unit of the Council of Europe Ms. Angela Longo
(online), and Ms. Maria Papamichail, responsible for political affairs of the European
Union delegation in Armenia, made the opening remarks.
Welcoming the guests, Ms. Manasyan noted that the
discussion is the beginning of the launch of a platform through which it will
be possible to quickly and effectively address issues related to hate speech in
the educational and academic spheres. In this context, the Defender noted that
hate speech is a serious challenge in today's reality. The problems are not
just numerous, they are encountered at almost every step.
"The problems need proper addressing. Our studies in
recent years demonstrate that discriminatory speech and hate speech are
disseminated very widely, including by representatives of the academic sphere,
a fact which is unfortunate. This group should demonstrate exemplary behavior, because
they educate and nurture our youth” stated the Defender.
Council of Europe expert Mr. Federico Falloppa addressed
the developments, manifestations and trends of hate speech in the offline and
online domain. The participants of the discussion also had the opportunity to
address questions to the Human Rights Defender.
Within the context of the meeting, it was emphasized that
education has a key role in countering the emergence of hate speech and
targeted group violence. Addressing the problem of hate speech from an
educational perspective involves strengthening educational policies and
programs with specific measures to counter hate speech.
The discussion is part of the European Union and the
Council of Europe's "Partnership for Good Governance" joint project,
co-financed by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by
the Council of Europe within the framework of the "Promoting Equality and
Elimination of non-discrimination in Armenia” project.
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