DISCRIMINATION GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE RACIAL, ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS MINORITIES In June a large-scale survey conducted by Civil society groups continued to receive Ghent University indicated that two thirds of allegations of racial profiling by the police. In the Belgian population had experienced May, the CERD Committee urged the sexual violence in their lives; 81% of women authorities to prohibit racial profiling, and girls aged 16-69 reported having been introduce the use of stop forms and improve victims of such violence. At the end of the collection of disaggregated data. In May, November, a national action plan against the government rejected recommendations gender-based violence was adopted. made during the UN’s UPR process to IRRESPONSIBLE ARMS TRANSFERS explicitly prohibit racial profiling. OLDER PEOPLE The Wallonia region continued to authorize In September, a survey commissioned by arms transfers to members of the Saudi-led Amnesty International found that 27% of coalition in Yemen, despite the substantial people over 55 experienced abuse and that risk that these arms could be used to commit seven out of 10 faced prejudice because of or facilitate serious violations of international their age in the French-speaking part of human rights and humanitarian law. Belgium. FAILURE TO PREVENT CLIMATE CHANGE In October, the equality body UNIA confirmed that older people in care homes In June, the Brussels Court of First Instance were at greater risk of suffering abuses of ruled that both the federal and the federated their human rights during the pandemic. authorities had failed to implement adequate INHUMANE DETENTION CONDITIONS policies to tackle the climate emergency and had thus violated the rights to life and to Overcrowding in dilapidated prisons private life of the plaintiffs. continued, with insufficient access for people deprived of their liberty to basic services, 1. Belgium: Submission to the UN Committee Against Torture 71st including healthcare and sanitary facilities. In Session, 12-30 July 2021 (Index: EUR 14/4290/2021), 15 June May, the state rejected a UPR recommendation to ensure that the prison population remained below prison capacity. BENIN EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE Republic of Benin In January, police used unnecessary and Head of state and government: Patrice Talon excessive force to disperse about 100 peaceful protesters who opposed police The Digital Code continued to be used to violence and impunity. Police arrested 245 restrict freedom of expression. The rights of people, including many passers-by who were detained political opponents were not taking part in the protest. Some of the reportedly violated. At least five people were people arrested, including children, reported killed during clashes between being ill-treated while in detention. At the end demonstrators and defence and security of the year, an investigation into allegations of forces in the context of the presidential ill-treatment by police was ongoing. elections. Members of transgender and In July, the UN Committee Against Torture LGBTI associations were assaulted and expressed concerns regarding ill-treatment threatened. and excessive use of force by the police, BACKGROUND including against detainees and protesters. Patrice Talon was re-elected in the first round of the 11 April presidential election with 86.36% of the vote. The Constitutional Court Amnesty International Report 2021/22 93