Human Rights, Tolerance and Equality in Europe

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)1
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank1
1	Albania	59.6
2	Andorra	84.3
3	Armenia	71.6
4	Austria	22.5
5	Azerbaijan	87.1
6	Belarus	78.9
7	Belgium	26.1
8	Bosnia & Herzegovina	63.4
9	Bulgaria	46.5
10	Croatia	58.3
	...
56	Kosovo	54.2
	Europe Avg	50.3
	World Avg	87.7
q=56. No data: 22

The best countries in Europe at protecting human rights, engendering tolerance and supporting equality, are Sweden, Norway and Denmark. The worst countries are San Marino, Monaco and Vatican City. Europe has an excellent record on women's rights and gender equality. Prejudice against any protected characteristics found in HR law is actively challenged in most of Europe, especially in countries that have signed up for the European Council of Human Rights (part of the Council of Europe), which frequently sees cases brought by citizens against member states. LGBT rights, freedom of religion and freedom of thought are all routine. The most powerful and effective agents working against human rights in Europe are Christian institutions, especially the Catholic church and conservative movements, plus, the occasional push by backwards political parties or individual leaders. Some of these factors create long-term problems, such as in Poland or Turkey. But, there is nowhere else in the world have the spurious prejudices of human culture have been so diminished as in Europe.

1. Results by Country
2. Human Rights & Tolerance
   1. Human Rights Watch Comments
   2. Nominal Commitment to HR
   3. HR Treaties Lag
   4. Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom
   5. Press Freedom
   6. Slavery
3. Gender Equality
   1. Gender Inequality
   2. Gender Biases
   3. Year Women Can Vote
4. Prejudice
   1. Anti-Semite Opinions
   2. LGBT Equality
   3. Freedom of Thought
5. Links

---

1. Results by Country

#equality #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)1
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank1
1	Afghanistan	140.8
2	Albania	59.6
3	Algeria	111.2
4	Andorra	84.3
5	Angola	136.2
6	Antigua & Barbuda	105.4
7	Argentina	43.8
8	Armenia	71.6
9	Australia	24.1
10	Austria	22.5
11	Azerbaijan	87.1
12	Bahamas	105.3
13	Bahrain	112.9
14	Bangladesh	113.2
15	Barbados	85.3
16	Belarus	78.9
17	Belgium	26.1
18	Belize	94.1
19	Benin	95.9
20	Bhutan	114.4
21	Bolivia	53.8
22	Bosnia & Herzegovina	63.4
23	Botswana	95.0
24	Brazil	52.3
25	Brunei	147.1
26	Bulgaria	46.5
27	Burkina Faso	76.3
28	Burundi	126.3
29	Cambodia	102.5
30	Cameroon	115.4
31	Canada	21.2
32	Cape Verde	75.3
33	Central African Rep.	121.2
34	Chad	130.6
35	Chile	40.1
36	China	92.0
37	Colombia	64.4
38	Comoros	141.2
39	Congo, (Brazzaville)	115.2
40	Congo, DR	126.9
41	Cook Islands	144.5
42	Costa Rica	36.7
43	Croatia	58.3
44	Cuba	97.7
45	Cyprus	46.7
46	Czechia	37.9
47	Denmark	14.7
48	Djibouti	140.9
49	Dominica	105.6
50	Dominican Rep.	83.3
51	Ecuador	58.1
52	Egypt	113.6
53	El Salvador	66.9
54	Equatorial Guinea	128.6
55	Eritrea	139.8
56	Estonia	42.9
57	Ethiopia	116.9
58	Fiji	102.4
59	Finland	23.9
60	France	24.8
61	Gabon	95.4
62	Gambia	117.4
63	Georgia	64.3
64	Germany	24.9
65	Ghana	88.1
66	Greece	58.3
67	Grenada	128.6
68	Guatemala	63.0
69	Guinea	116.8
70	Guinea-Bissau	117.3
71	Guyana	102.9
72	Haiti	86.6
73	Honduras	72.1
74	Hong Kong	24.3
75	Hungary	52.6
76	Iceland	20.1
77	India	96.9
78	Indonesia	111.2
79	Iran	133.8
80	Iraq	124.5
81	Ireland	38.5
82	Israel	83.5
83	Italy	37.3
84	Ivory Coast	100.5
85	Jamaica	64.6
86	Japan	42.1
87	Jordan	102.2
88	Kazakhstan	97.9
89	Kenya	92.6
90	Kiribati	138.4
91	Kosovo	54.2
92	Kuwait	106.7
93	Kyrgyzstan	79.6
94	Laos	108.3
95	Latvia	52.6
96	Lebanon	98.8
97	Lesotho	95.0
98	Liberia	118.0
99	Libya	115.0
100	Liechtenstein	73.9
101	Lithuania	53.2
102	Luxembourg	23.9
103	Macedonia	82.2
104	Madagascar	100.6
105	Malawi	123.4
106	Malaysia	127.3
107	Maldives	110.7
108	Mali	82.4
109	Malta	46.3
110	Marshall Islands	134.6
111	Mauritania	144.7
112	Mauritius	72.6
113	Mexico	56.6
114	Micronesia	128.8
115	Moldova	81.5
116	Monaco	94.2
117	Mongolia	60.5
118	Montenegro	71.8
119	Morocco	102.8
120	Mozambique	95.1
121	Myanmar (Burma)	128.7
122	Namibia	69.7
123	Nauru	123.4
124	Nepal	90.1
125	Netherlands	15.8
126	New Zealand	17.5
127	Nicaragua	74.5
128	Niger	94.0
129	Nigeria	107.1
130	N. Korea	146.8
131	Norway	14.7
132	Oman	121.5
133	Pakistan	141.5
134	Palau	131.0
135	Palestine	138.0
136	Panama	59.9
137	Papua New Guinea	122.4
138	Paraguay	70.5
139	Peru	54.0
q=225. No data: 613

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Norway and Denmark₄. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are The Solomon Islands, Somalia and Tuvalu₄.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are statistics on commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₄, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Micronesia and Australasia₄.

For more, see:

• "Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

The table on the right shows the full results list for Europe.

Compare Europe to other regions of the world: Compare International Statistics by Region and Continent.

2. Human Rights & Tolerance

2.1. Human Rights Watch Comments

#human_rights

Human Rights Watch Comments (2017)5
Pos.		Higher is better Score5
1	Armenia	-1
2	Austria	5
3	Azerbaijan	-5
4	Belarus	-3
5	Belgium	6
6	Bosnia & Herzegovina	-6
7	Bulgaria	5
8	Croatia	4
9	Cyprus	5
10	Czechia	5
11	Denmark	5
12	Estonia	5
13	Finland	6
14	France	9
15	Georgia	-2
16	Germany	9
17	Greece	5
18	Hungary	3
19	Ireland	7
20	Italy	5
21	Latvia	5
22	Liechtenstein	2
23	Lithuania	5
24	Luxembourg	6
25	Malta	5
26	Netherlands	8
27	Norway	1
28	Poland	4
29	Portugal	5
30	Romania	5
31	Serbia	-3
32	Slovakia	5
33	Slovenia	5
34	Spain	5
35	Sweden	7
36	Turkey	-2
37	Ukraine	0
38	UK	9
39	Kosovo	-1
	Europe Avg	3.5
	World Avg	-1.9
q=39. No data: 196

Human Rights Watch comments concentrate mostly on negative issues, however, they also make positive comments for those countries that engage in human rights defence around the world, or who make improvements at home. By adding up positive and negative comments (including double-points for negatives that involve large scales and crimes against humanity), the Social and Moral Index turns HRW commentary into quantified values. Some countries may be unfairly penalized because HRW have not examined them, and, some countries "get away" with abuses if they manage to hide it, or if it goes unnoticed - a negative point has been given for those countries in which HRW specifically state that access to investigators has been barred. The points were limited to a minimum of -10 because there are some points at which things are so bad, with abuses affecting so many, it is difficult to be more specific about the depths of the issues.

2.2. Nominal Commitment to HR

#human_rights

Nominal Commitment to HR (2009)7
Pos.		Higher is better Treaties7
1	Albania	20
2	Andorra	15
3	Armenia	17
4	Austria	22
5	Azerbaijan	21
6	Belarus	16
7	Belgium	22
8	Bosnia & Herzegovina	21
9	Bulgaria	20
10	Croatia	22
11	Cyprus	20
12	Czechia	20
13	Denmark	22
14	Estonia	17
15	Finland	19
16	France	21
17	Georgia	20
18	Germany	23
19	Greece	19
20	Hungary	20
21	Iceland	20
22	Ireland	19
23	Italy	22
24	Latvia	16
25	Liechtenstein	20
26	Lithuania	18
27	Luxembourg	19
28	Macedonia	20
29	Malta	18
30	Moldova	18
31	Monaco	16
32	Montenegro	21
33	Netherlands	19
34	Norway	20
35	Poland	20
36	Portugal	20
37	Romania	20
38	San Marino	16
39	Serbia	23
40	Slovakia	20
41	Slovenia	23
42	Spain	23
43	Sweden	23
44	Switzerland	19
45	Turkey	17
46	Ukraine	20
47	UK	19
48	Vatican City	10
	Europe Avg	19.5
	World Avg	15.1
q=48. No data: 108

There are many international agreements on human rights, and, many mechanisms by which countries can be brought to account for their actions. Together, these have been the biggest historical movement in the fight against oppression and inhumanity. Or, putting it another way: these are rejected mostly by those who wish to oppress inhumanely. None of them are perfect and many people object to various components and wordings, but, no-one has come up with, and enforced, better methods of controlling the occasional desires that states and peoples have of causing angst for other states and peoples in a violent, unjust or inhumane way. Points are awarded for the number of human rights agreements ratified by the country, plus the acceptance of the petition mechanisms for disputes. The maximum possible score in 2009 was 24.

2.3. HR Treaties Lag

#human_rights #international_law #micronesia #politics #small_islands

HR Treaties Lag (2019)9
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Yrs/Treaty9
1	Albania	10.94
2	Andorra	12.91
3	Armenia	11.00
4	Austria	5.68
5	Azerbaijan	10.08
6	Belarus	5.71
7	Belgium	8.30
8	Bosnia & Herzegovina	9.17
9	Bulgaria	4.24
10	Croatia	10.65
11	Cyprus	5.81
12	Czechia	11.73
13	Denmark	5.06
14	Estonia	12.06
15	Finland	7.49
16	France	5.61
17	Georgia	12.77
18	Germany	5.62
19	Greece	8.44
20	Hungary	5.91
21	Iceland	7.57
22	Ireland	13.38
23	Italy	6.56
24	Latvia	11.39
25	Liechtenstein	13.28
26	Lithuania	11.03
27	Luxembourg	9.67
28	Macedonia	11.71
29	Malta	9.60
30	Moldova	11.99
31	Monaco	12.76
32	Montenegro	14.20
33	Netherlands	8.29
34	Norway	5.05
35	Poland	6.34
36	Portugal	6.69
37	Romania	5.52
38	San Marino	13.63
39	Serbia	12.44
40	Slovakia	11.24
41	Slovenia	11.13
42	Spain	4.60
43	Sweden	4.88
44	Switzerland	11.71
45	Turkey	9.48
46	Ukraine	4.94
47	UK	6.62
48	Vatican City	11.34
	Europe Avg	9.09
	World Avg	10.02
q=48. No data: 108

Human Rights (HR) Treaties Lag is a count of how long it took each country to sign each of 11 key HR treaties. From the date of the first signatory of each treaty, all other countries have one point added to their score for each day they delayed in signing. Results are presented as average time in years to sign each one. The lower a country's score, the more enthusiastically it has taken on international Human Rights Treaties - which are, of course, minimal standards of good governance. The slowest are the countries of Micronesia, Melanesia, Australasia and Polynesia all lagged by over 12 years per treaty. The best regions are The Americas, Scandinavia and the Mediterranean.

For more, see:

• "Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

2.4. Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom

#freedom #politics

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom (2014)10
Pos.		Lower is better Rank10
1	Albania	50
2	Armenia	55
3	Austria	11
4	Azerbaijan	128
5	Belgium	17
6	Bosnia & Herzegovina	54
7	Bulgaria	40
8	Croatia	44
9	Cyprus	33
10	Czechia	18
11	Denmark	5
12	Estonia	21
13	Finland	9
14	France	31
15	Georgia	43
16	Germany	13
17	Greece	48
18	Hungary	37
19	Iceland	25
20	Ireland	4
21	Italy	28
22	Latvia	24
23	Lithuania	20
24	Luxembourg	11
25	Macedonia	55
26	Malta	16
27	Moldova	69
28	Montenegro	44
29	Netherlands	10
30	Norway	13
31	Poland	21
32	Portugal	19
33	Romania	30
34	Serbia	67
35	Slovakia	27
36	Slovenia	39
37	Spain	36
38	Sweden	15
39	Switzerland	2
40	Turkey	73
41	Ukraine	111
42	UK	6
	Europe Avg	33.9
	World Avg	79.7
q=42. No data: 1611

The Human Freedom Index published by the Fraser Institute is...

“... a broad measure of human freedom, understood as the absence of coercive constraint. It uses 79 distinct indicators of personal and economic freedom in the following areas: Rule of Law, Security and Safety, Movement, Religion, Association, Assembly, and Civil Society, Expression, Relationships, Size of Government, Legal System and Property Rights, Access to Sound Money, Freedom to Trade Internationally, Regulation of Credit, Labor, and Business. [...]

The highest levels of freedom are in Western Europe, Northern Europe, and North America (Canada and the United States. The lowest levels are in the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. [...]

Countries in the top quartile of freedom enjoy a significant higher per capita income ($37,147) [compared with] the least-free quartile [at] $8,700). The HFI finds a strong correlation between human freedom and democracy.”

"The Human Freedom Index" by The Fraser Institute (2016)₁₂

2.5. Press Freedom

#democracy #freedom #Freedom_of_Speech #Good_Governance #mass_media #politics #UK

Press Freedom (2013)13
Pos.		Lower is better13
1	Albania	3088
2	Andorra	682
3	Armenia	2804
4	Austria	940
5	Azerbaijan	4773
6	Belarus	4835
7	Belgium	1294
8	Bosnia & Herzegovina	2686
9	Bulgaria	2858
10	Croatia	2661
11	Cyprus	1383
12	Czechia	1017
13	Denmark	708
14	Estonia	926
15	Finland	638
16	France	2160
17	Georgia	3009
18	Germany	1024
19	Greece	2846
20	Hungary	2609
21	Iceland	849
22	Ireland	1006
23	Italy	2611
24	Latvia	2289
25	Liechtenstein	735
26	Lithuania	1824
27	Luxembourg	668
28	Macedonia	3427
29	Malta	2330
30	Moldova	2601
31	Montenegro	3297
32	Netherlands	648
33	Norway	652
34	Poland	1311
35	Portugal	1675
36	Romania	2305
37	Serbia	2659
38	Slovakia	1325
39	Slovenia	2049
40	Spain	2050
41	Sweden	923
42	Switzerland	994
43	Turkey	4656
44	Ukraine	3679
45	UK	1689
46	Kosovo	2847
	Europe Avg	2044
	World Avg	3249
q=46. No data: 1214

The freedom to investigate, publish information, and have access to others' opinion is a fundamental part of today's information-driven world, and is linked with Freedom of Speech and Good Governance. Scores on the Press Freedom Index are calculated according to indicators including pluralism - the degree to which opinions are represented in the media, media independence of authorities, self-censorship, legislation, transparency and the infrastructure that supports news and information, and, the level of violence against journalists which includes lengths of imprisonments. The index "does not take direct account of the kind of political system but it is clear that democracies provide better protection for the freedom to produce and circulate accurate news and information than countries where human rights are flouted". The rankings are used as one of the datasets of the Social and Moral Development Index₁₅

It must be noted that press freedom is not an indicator of press quality and the press itself can be abusive; the UK suffers in particular from a popular brand of nasty reporting that infuses several of its newspapers who are particularly prone to running destructive and often untrue campaigns against victims. The Press Freedom Index notes that "the index should in no way be taken as an indicator of the quality of the media in the countries concerned".

Europe routinely performs excellently on this index, for example in 2013 "the same three European countries that headed the index last year hold the top three positions again this year. For the third year running, Finland has distinguished itself as the country that most respects media freedom. It is followed by the Netherlands and Norway".

2.6. Slavery

#burundi #eritrea #france #human_rights #indonesia #slavery

Slavery (2018)16
Pos.		Lower is better % Victims16
1	Albania	0.69
2	Armenia	0.53
3	Austria	0.17
4	Azerbaijan	0.45
5	Belarus	1.09
6	Belgium	0.20
7	Bosnia & Herzegovina	0.34
8	Bulgaria	0.45
9	Croatia	0.60
10	Cyprus	0.42
11	Czechia	0.29
12	Denmark	0.16
13	Estonia	0.36
14	Finland	0.17
15	France	0.20
16	Georgia	0.43
17	Germany	0.20
18	Greece	0.79
19	Hungary	0.37
20	Iceland	0.21
21	Ireland	0.17
22	Italy	0.24
23	Latvia	0.39
24	Lithuania	0.58
25	Luxembourg	0.15
26	Macedonia	0.87
27	Moldova	0.55
28	Montenegro	0.59
29	Netherlands	0.18
30	Norway	0.18
31	Poland	0.34
32	Portugal	0.25
33	Romania	0.43
34	Serbia	0.33
35	Slovakia	0.29
36	Slovenia	0.22
37	Spain	0.23
38	Sweden	0.16
39	Switzerland	0.17
40	Turkey	0.65
41	Ukraine	0.64
42	UK	0.21
43	Kosovo	0.40
	Europe Avg	0.38
	World Avg	0.65
q=43. No data: 1517

The taking of slaves has been an unwholesome feature of Human cultures since prehistory₁₈. Private households and national endeavours have frequently been augmented with the use of slaves. The Egyptian and Roman empires both thrived on them for both purposes. Aside from labourers they are often abused sexually by their owners and their owners' friends₁₉. The era of colonialism and the beginnings of globalisation changed nothing: the imprisonment and forced movements of labour continued to destroy many lives except that new justifications were invented based on Christian doctrine and the effort to convert non-Christians. By 1786 over 12 million slaves had been extracted from Africa and sent to colonial labour camps, with a truly atrocious condition of life₂₀. But they were not the only ones to blame; in Africa internal nations such as the Asantes sold and bought tens of thousands of slaves₂₁.

The abolition of the slave trade was a long and slow process. Until a relatively modern time, even philosophers, religious leaders and those concerned with ethics justified, or ignored, the problem of slavery₂₂. The first abolitionists were always the slaves themselves. Their protests and rebellions caused the industry to become too expensive to continue. After that, it was the economic costs of maintain slave colonies that led the British to reject and then oppose the slave trade globally. Finally, the enlightenment-era thinkers of France encouraged moral and ethical thinking including the declaration of the inherent value of human life and human dignity₂₃. A long-overdue wave of compassionate and conscientious movements swept across the West, eliminating public support for slavery, until the industries and churches that supported it had no choice but to back down.

'Modern slavery' includes forced labour (often of the under-age), debt bondage (especially generational), sexual slavery, chattel slavery and other forms of abuse, some of which can be surprisingly difficult to detect, but often target those fleeing from warzones and the vulnerable.₂₄. Some industries (diamond, clothing, coal) from some countries (Burundi₂₅, Eritrea₂₅, Indonesia₂₆) are a particular concern. The Walk Free Foundation, say that in 2016, 40.3 million people were living in modern slavery₂₇.

For more, see:

• "The Historical Slave Trade and Modern Slavery" by Vexen Crabtree (2018).

See:

• Religion and Abolition of the Historical Slave Trade

3. Gender Equality

3.1. Gender Inequality

#gender #gender_equality #human_rights #misogyny #women

Europe has an excellent record on women's rights and gender equality. The battle isn't over - it will take a long time to fully erase the pointless inequalities of patriarchal conservatism, especially in places where the culture is still strongly Christian. But most of Europe is still the best place in the world to be female.

“There is indeed a broad consensus throughout Europe to ensure men and women can access contraception, safe abortion services and reproductive healthcare and information on sexuality. This is the basis upon which people can make free and fair choices about their family life and composition.”

NSS (2015)₂₈

Gender Inequality (2015)29
Pos.		Lower is better29
1	Albania	0.27
2	Armenia	0.29
3	Austria	0.08
4	Azerbaijan	0.33
5	Belarus	0.14
6	Belgium	0.07
7	Bosnia & Herzegovina	0.16
8	Bulgaria	0.22
9	Croatia	0.14
10	Cyprus	0.12
11	Czechia	0.13
12	Denmark	0.04
13	Estonia	0.13
14	Finland	0.06
15	France	0.10
16	Georgia	0.36
17	Germany	0.07
18	Greece	0.12
19	Hungary	0.25
20	Iceland	0.05
21	Ireland	0.13
22	Italy	0.08
23	Latvia	0.19
24	Lithuania	0.12
25	Luxembourg	0.07
26	Macedonia	0.16
27	Malta	0.22
28	Moldova	0.23
29	Montenegro	0.16
30	Netherlands	0.04
31	Norway	0.05
32	Poland	0.14
33	Portugal	0.09
34	Romania	0.34
35	Serbia	0.18
36	Slovakia	0.18
37	Slovenia	0.05
38	Spain	0.08
39	Sweden	0.05
40	Switzerland	0.04
41	Turkey	0.33
42	Ukraine	0.28
43	UK	0.13
	Europe Avg	0.15
	World Avg	0.36
q=43. No data: 1530

The UN Human Development Reports include statistics on gender equality which take into account things like maternal mortality, access to political power (seats in parliament) and differences between male and female education rates. Gender inequality is not a necessary part of early human development. Although a separation of roles is almost universal due to different strengths between the genders, this does not have to mean that women are subdued, and, such patriarchalism is not universal in ancient history. Those cultures and peoples who shed, or never developed, the idea that mankind ought to dominate womankind, are better cultures and peoples than those who, even today, cling violently to those mores.

For more, see:

• "Gender Equality" by Vexen Crabtree (2023).

See:

• Gender Equality

3.2. Gender Biases

#gender #gender_equality #prejudice #women

Gender Biases (2022)31
Pos.		Lower is better %31
1	Andorra	43.132
2	Armenia	92.132
3	Azerbaijan	98.733
4	Belarus	90.433
5	Bulgaria	78.234
6	Cyprus	81.832
7	Estonia	78.333
8	Finland	52.534
9	France	57.234
10	Georgia	94.733
11	Germany	40.232
12	Greece	64.932
13	Hungary	67.334
14	Italy	64.434
15	Moldova	90.734
16	Netherlands	44.233
17	Norway	42.134
18	Poland	81.433
19	Romania	86.632
20	Serbia	77.632
21	Slovenia	61.133
22	Spain	53.533
23	Sweden	31.833
24	Switzerland	56.934
25	Turkey	91.632
26	Ukraine	86.132
27	UK	57.734
	Europe Avg	69.08
	World Avg	83.93
q=27. No data: 3135

The Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI) looks at gender biases across seven criteria; the % given here is for the total people who are biased across any of those criteria. By subtracting the value from 100%, you can see that those who do well on this index, you are seeing a count of those who do not appear to be biased against women in any of the criteria, and so, doing well on this index is a very positive sign for any country.

The data was included in UN (2022) with full results in Annex table AS6.7.1; their data stems for ranges between 2005 and 2022, depending on the country in question.

See:

• Gender Equality

3.3. Year Women Can Vote

#christianity #gender_equality #human_rights #politics #women

Year Women Can Vote
Pos.		Lower is better Year
1	Albania	1920
2	Andorra	1973
3	Armenia	1921
4	Austria	1919
5	Azerbaijan	1921
6	Belarus	1919
7	Belgium	1948
8	Bosnia & Herzegovina	1949
9	Bulgaria	1944
10	Croatia	1945
11	Cyprus	1960
12	Czechia	1919
13	Denmark	1915
14	Estonia	1918
15	Finland	1906
16	France	1944
17	Georgia	1921
18	Germany	1919
19	Greece	1952
20	Hungary	1958
21	Iceland	1915
22	Ireland	1922
23	Italy	1945
24	Latvia	1918
25	Liechtenstein	1984
26	Lithuania	1921
27	Luxembourg	1919
28	Macedonia	1946
29	Malta	1947
30	Moldova	1994
31	Monaco	1962
32	Netherlands	1919
33	Norway	1913
34	Poland	1919
35	Portugal	1976
36	Romania	1946
37	San Marino	1973
38	Slovakia	1919
39	Slovenia	1945
40	Spain	1931
41	Sweden	1921
42	Switzerland	1971
43	Turkey	1934
44	Ukraine	1919
45	UK	1928
46	Vatican City	0
	Europe Avg	1895
	World Avg	1930
q=46. No data: 1236

Women now have equal rights in the vast majority of countries across the world. Although academic literature oftens talks of when a country "grants women the right to vote", this enforces a backwards way of thinking. Women always had the right to vote, however, they were frequently denied that right. The opposition to women's ability to vote in equality with man was most consistently and powerfully opposed by the Catholic Church, other Christian organisations, Islamic authorities and some other religious and secular traditionalists.

For more, see:

• "Gender Equality" by Vexen Crabtree (2023).

See:

• Gender Equality

4. Prejudice

4.1. Anti-Semite Opinions

#antisemitism #christianity #germany #indonesia #israel #jordan #judaism #laos #morocco #netherlands #pakistan #philippines #religion #religious_violence #saudi_arabia #spain #sweden #turkey #UK #vietnam

Anti-Semite Opinions (2014)37
Pos.		Lower is better %37
1	Armenia	58
2	Austria	28
3	Azerbaijan	37
4	Belarus	38
5	Belgium	27
6	Bosnia & Herzegovina	32
7	Bulgaria	44
8	Croatia	33
9	Czechia	13
10	Denmark	9
11	Estonia	22
12	Finland	15
13	France	37
14	Georgia	32
15	Germany	27
16	Greece	69
17	Hungary	41
18	Iceland	16
19	Ireland	20
20	Italy	20
21	Latvia	28
22	Lithuania	36
23	Moldova	30
24	Montenegro	29
25	Netherlands	5
26	Norway	15
27	Poland	45
28	Portugal	21
29	Romania	35
30	Serbia	42
31	Slovenia	27
32	Spain	29
33	Sweden	4
34	Switzerland	26
35	Turkey	69
36	Ukraine	38
37	UK	8
	Europe Avg	29.9
	World Avg	36.8
q=37. No data: 2138

Anti-Semitism is the world given to irrational racism against Jews. It is not the same as anti-Judaism (involving arguments against the religion) nor the same as anti-Zionism (arguments against Israel). In history, influential Christian theologians concocted the arguments against Jews that led, very early on, to widespread Christian action against Jews_39,40,41,42. As Christianity rose to power in the West and presided over the Dark Ages, there were widespread violent outbursts against Jews of the most persistent and horrible kind. The Crusades were frequently aimed at them and the feared Spanish Inquisition paid Jews particular attention. The horror of the holocaust instigated by German Nazis in the 1940s was followed (finally) by the era of European human rights and a movement against racism in general.

The places that are the least anti-Semitical are a few countries of south-east Asia (Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam) and some of the secular liberal democracies of Europe (Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK). The worst countries for antisemitism are Islamic states of the Middle East₄₃, which are undergoing their own Dark Age. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey see the most oppressive and violent actions towards Jews_44,45. Jews in Muslim countries face a host of restrictions and "ceaseless humiliation and regular pogroms"₄₆. In 2004 the European Union Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia reported on violent anti-Jew crimes in the EU and found that that largest group of perpetrators were young Muslim males₄₇.

For more, see:

• "Anti-Semitism" by Vexen Crabtree (2017).

See:

• Anti-Semitism

4.2. LGBT Equality

#equality #homosexuality #human_rights #intolerance #sexuality #tolerance

LGBT Equality (2017)48
Pos.		Higher is better Score48
1	Albania	40
2	Andorra	63
3	Armenia	20
4	Austria	56
5	Azerbaijan	15
6	Belarus	15
7	Belgium	90
8	Bosnia & Herzegovina	35
9	Bulgaria	33
10	Croatia	45
11	Cyprus	40
12	Czechia	39
13	Denmark	72
14	Estonia	45
15	Finland	57
16	France	78
17	Georgia	35
18	Germany	44
19	Greece	39
20	Hungary	49
21	Iceland	72
22	Ireland	53
23	Italy	40
24	Latvia	25
25	Liechtenstein	25
26	Lithuania	30
27	Luxembourg	70
28	Macedonia	25
29	Malta	63
30	Moldova	25
31	Monaco	40
32	Montenegro	35
33	Netherlands	103
34	Norway	72
35	Poland	40
36	Portugal	63
37	Romania	39
38	San Marino	35
39	Serbia	40
40	Slovakia	39
41	Slovenia	45
42	Spain	79
43	Sweden	86
44	Switzerland	40
45	Turkey	25
46	Ukraine	25
47	UK	72
48	Kosovo	35
	Europe Avg	46.9
	World Avg	12.6
q=48. No data: 1049

Discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) folk is rife across the world. Legal restrictions co-exist alongside social stigmatisation and physical violence₅₀. LGBT tolerance and equal rights have been fought for country-by-country across the world, often against tightly entrenched cultural and religious opposition. Adult consensual sexual activity is a Human Right, protected by privacy laws₅₁. Despite this, homosexual activity is outlawed in around 80 countries₅₀. The Social & Moral LGBT Equality Index was created to compare countries and regions, granting points to each country for a variety of factors including how long gay sex has been criminalized and the extent of LGBT legal rights. Graded negative points are given for criminality of homosexuality, unequal ages of consent, legal punishments and for not signing international accords on LGBT tolerance. The signs in many developed countries are positive, and things are gradually improving. Europe is by far the least prejudiced region (Scandinavia in particular being exemplary). The Middle East and then Africa are the least morally developed, where cultural bias goes hand-in-hand with state intolerance, all too often including physical violence.

For more, see:

• "LGBT Rights Across the World: Which are the Best and Worst Countries?" by Vexen Crabtree (2017).

See:

• LGBT Rights Across the World: Which are the Best and Worst Countries?

4.3. Freedom of Thought

#europe #freedom_of_belief #freethought #human_rights #netherlands #religion #religious_tolerance #secularism #the_enlightenment

Freedom of Thought (2021)52
Pos.		Lower is better52
1	Albania	1.8
2	Andorra	3.7
3	Armenia	3.3
4	Austria	2.7
5	Azerbaijan	4.0
6	Belarus	3.8
7	Belgium	1.0
8	Bosnia & Herzegovina	3.3
9	Bulgaria	2.5
10	Croatia	3.3
11	Cyprus	3.0
12	Czechia	2.7
13	Denmark	2.8
14	Estonia	2.8
15	Finland	3.0
16	France	1.3
17	Georgia	2.8
18	Germany	3.3
19	Greece	2.3
20	Hungary	3.0
21	Iceland	1.5
22	Ireland	2.8
23	Italy	3.3
24	Latvia	2.8
25	Liechtenstein	2.5
26	Lithuania	2.8
27	Luxembourg	2.0
28	Macedonia	3.3
29	Malta	2.8
30	Moldova	3.0
31	Monaco	2.8
32	Montenegro	2.8
33	Netherlands	1.0
34	Norway	1.5
35	Poland	3.5
36	Portugal	2.8
37	Romania	2.5
38	San Marino	2.5
39	Serbia	3.0
40	Slovakia	2.8
41	Slovenia	1.8
42	Spain	3.0
43	Sweden	1.5
44	Switzerland	3.0
45	Turkey	3.5
46	Ukraine	2.5
47	UK	2.8
48	Kosovo	1.8
	Europe Avg	2.6
	World Avg	3.0
q=48. No data: 1049

Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Belief are upheld in Article 18 the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights₅₃. It affirms that it is a basic human right that all people are free to change their beliefs and religion as they wish₅₄. No countries voted against this (although eight abstained). This right was first recognized clearly in the policies of religious toleration of the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe in the post-enlightenment era₅₅ of the 19th century. In democratic countries, freedom of belief and religion is now taken for granted₅₆. In 2016 a study found that over 180 countries in the world had come to guarantee freedom of religion and belief₅₇. The best countries at doing so are Taiwan, Belgium and The Netherlands_52,58 and the worst: Afghanistan, N. Korea, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia_52,59.

Long-term studies have shown that religious violence and persecution both decrease in cultures where religious freedom is guaranteed₆₀. Despite this, there still are many who are strongly against freedom of belief₅₄, including entire cultures and many individual communities of religious believers. Their alternative is that you are not free to believe what you want and they often state that you cannot change religion without being punished (often including the death penalty): this is bemoaned as one of the most dangerous elements of religion₆₁ and "the denial of religious freedoms is inevitably intertwined with the denial of other freedoms"₆₂ and the solution is, everywhere, to allow religious freedom and the freedom of belief.

For more, see:

• "Freethought - Freedom of Belief and Freedom of Religion" by Vexen Crabtree (2022).

See:

• Freethought - Freedom of Belief and Freedom of Religion