The UAAR presented its report to the United Nations for what concerns equality and nondiscrimination, LGBTQIA+ rights, religious beliefs, right to health, access to reproductive healthcare services as well as correlated services, right to education, protection of minors, and family rights.
On the 16th of July 2024, the Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics (UAAR) sent — for the first time — to the United Nations (UN) its report, which will be an integral part of the periodic review for the year 2024 for what concerns the respect and promotion of human rights in Italy. Within the report, the UAAR highlighted deficiencies in respect to human rights within various realms. The UAAR believes such deficiencies to be related to equality and nondiscrimination in terms of LGBTQIA+ rights, religious beliefs, the right to health, the right to access healthcare services — particularly in terms of access to reproductive healthcare services — the right to study, child protection, and the rights related to marriage and family.
This year, Italy is subjected to the Universal periodic review, which is a verification mechanism between UN member states tailored to evaluating the level of protection of fundamental rights and liberties. Such a verification mechanism emerged from the UN reform process which took place in 2006. Such a process can be pinpointed as the fourth cycle of the Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review, whose purpose is that of examining Italy — together with El Salvador, Gambia, Bolivia, Fiji, San Marino, Kazakhstan, Angola, Iran, Madagascar, Iran, Slovenia, Egypt, and Bosnia and Herzegovina — in its 48th session, which is due to take place between January and February of the year 2025. In fact, every four-and-a-half years, the UN examines several States in terms of the actions taken by such States for what concerns the respect of human rights. Moreover, the UN invites other States and the various associations that work within the human rights realm, to present their observations of the status quo.
In terms of equality and nondiscrimination, Italy has received in the past various recommendations, particularly from Norway and Spain. In such regard, Italy has fought against the implementation of any sort of legislation, such as the Zan legislation, whose main goal was that of preventing and sanctioning the incitement of hate and discrimination in terms of sexual orientation and gender identity. Therefore, the UAAR calls for the approval — on the side of Italian institutions — of a piece of legislation targeting anti-discrimination and thus protecting LGBTQIA+ people, as well as people with disabilities, from hate crimes.
For what concerns euthanasia and assisted suicide, the Italian Parliament has been lagging for years. Regardless of the fact that on September 25th, 2019, the Italian Constitutional Court depenalized assisted suicide in those cases where the patient is affected by an irreversible condition or disease, the Italian Parliament has not yet approved of a coherent piece of legislation. For the aforementioned reasons, the UAAR calls for the adoption — at a national level — of a coherent piece of legislation targeting the right to assisted suicide. In doing so, Italy would affirm its commitment to an individual’s self-determination, body autonomy and ultimately the right to die devoid of suffering.
Furthermore, the UAAR denounces the presence within Italy of multiple obstacles in terms of women’s reproductive rights, which stem from the political stances of political parties, as well as catholic-inspired lobbies. A particular issue, as denounced by the UAAR concerns doctors, whom, on a conscientious objection basis, have paralyzed abortion services within public hospitals. In some Italian regions, the percentage of conscientious objector doctors is as high as 90%. In April 2024, the right-wing Parliamentary majority even voted in favor of financing pro-life movements, whose role within Italian society is that of harassing women within abortion counseling centers. This was done using subsidies from the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility. Hence, the UAAR calls for the removal of obstacles in terms of access for what concerns reproductive rights such as the abusive use of conscientious objection, as well as the removal of no-choice and pro-life activists within Italian hospitals. Moreover, the UAAR calls for the introduction and financing of secular and inclusive sexual, affective and ethical education programs within public schools, as well as for the recognition of equal parental rights for same-sex couples, coupled with civil and human rights for their children. The right-wing Italian government and catholic-inspired politicians continue in their fight against equality of parenting rights for what concerns parents of the same sex, as well as against equality of rights for the children of such parents. This is done through the refusal of adding the non-biological parent within the child’s birth certificate, or even by attempting to label surrogacy as a universal crime. Hence, the UAAR calls for the recognition of equal parenting rights for same-sex couples, and equal civil and human rights for their children.
For what concerns children, and the safeguarding of children, it is important to note that the Italian legislation provides for a privileged judicial treatment for the Catholic Church. For this reason, the members of this specific organization are charged and convicted for pedophilia crimes much more frequently abroad than within Italy. In Italy, prior to intercepting any member of the clergy, the police are required to inform the bishop. This process halts the pursuit of justice in the name of transparency, rendering cover-ups a highly probable prospect. The UAAR calls for the removal of such privileges for the Catholic clergy, particularly for those who aid in covering up abuses on minors, among other crimes.
Within the last Universal periodic review (third cycle), Italy has received a great number of recommendations on the aforementioned themes. Although such recommendations have been welcomed on paper — with few exceptions — the reality has been quite different. Italy has not been able to act concretely and coherently based on the recommendations and has clearly adopted policies which go in a diametrically opposed direction compared to what was recommended. Within Italy, there is no official body whose role is that of safeguarding the respect of human rights. Italy does have a committee within the Foreign Ministry — the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Human Rights (CIDU) — who, at the end of the revision period, drafts the final report regarding the status of human rights within Italy. This is done with the inputs of the organizations of civil society. However, several of these organizations are faith-based organizations.
«We deem indispensable — states Giorgio Maone, responsible for the international relations of the UAAR — for an association such as the UAAR to be an active participant within the monitoring process of human rights, such as that provided by the UN. This is of particular importance given the historical period in which we are living; whereby reactionary waves, followers of confessionalism, authoritarians and even openly fascist individuals plague the international political system. The importance of the UAAR, in this particular moment, is that of being the only association within Italy whose voice embodies secular beliefs in defense of human rights such as that of self-determination, freedom of thought and expression, and freedom of religion and from religion. Therefore, as evidently apparent from our report, there is much work to be done; in great part due to the ‘Concordato’ (Lateran Pacts), as well as due to a political class which appears to be more loyal to the Vatican monarch than to the Italian people».
What is the UAAR?
The Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics (UAAR) is the only national association representing atheists and agnostics present within Italy and, as an associate member of Humanists international, at an international level. The UAAR is independent from political influences, such as that of political parties or lobbies, and comprises roughly 3,000 members and representations in every region of Italy. It was founded in 1986 in order to promote the diffusion of atheist and agnostic beliefs. The goal of the UAAR is that of fighting for a secular State, as well as defending human rights, particularly those who are threatened in the name of religious beliefs. Moreover, the UAAR battles every day on two fronts: against the privileges granted to any religion, as well as against the discrimination faced by non-believers.
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