Current best practices

• Author: Favilli, Chiara
• Pages: 68-68

68

10 CURRENT BEST PRACTICES

During 2018, new projects have been promoted, thanks to the restarting of UNAR’s

activity. The projects started in December 2018, so it is not possible to mention which

actions have been taken in practice. The project ‘CO.N.T.R.O. – Counter Narratives

Against Racism Online’ aims to combat hate speech, while the project ‘To.Be.Roma –

Towards a better cooperation and dialogue between stakeholders inside the National

Roma Platform’, aims to make the integration of people of Roma origin easier.

It is worth menti oning that the Interinstitutional Agreement on Access to Justice, whi ch

was agreed in 2013 and is aimed at strengthening protection for vulnerable victims, is

still active. Within this fram ework, a solidarity fund for access to justice by victims of

discrimination was set up (Fondo di solidarietà per la tutela giurisdizionale delle vittime di

discriminazione). The fund was created by UNAR in order to facilitate access to justice by

victims of discrimination, anticipating the legal costs of actions brought before the courts

(about EUR 600 for each level of judicial proceedin gs). This amount is not sufficient to

cover the overall legal exp enses, but it is sufficient to act as an incentive for l awyers

engaging in discrimination cases. In th e event of a favourable judgment, the legal aid

provided must be refunded to UNAR. Applications must be sent to the National Lawyers’

Association by individuals or by collective bodies with the right to legal standing (a

maximum of three per year). A steering committee made up of lawyers and public

officials from UNAR decide on th e allocation of aid, which is an alternative to the legal aid

provided by the state for those who are eligible on the basis of their incomes.

However, no report has so far been published on the application of thi s financial support.