ABSTRACT
There is a very clear linkage between social equality and the realisation of human rights. Equality creates better conditions for a human rights culture and a consistent rights approach in political decision making promotes development towards more equality. It explains the very political nature of the human rights cause. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights says that all human beings have the right to a standard of living adequate for their health and wellbeing, including food, clothing, housing and medical care. In Europe, social equality has been gradually undermined for several years now. Women still suffer from pay inequalities and job discrimination, and even in the richest countries children live in acute poverty in many disadvantaged communities. Social exclusion is passed on from one generation to the next. Inequalities prevent social mobility. These problems are indeed consequences of political decisions. The original financial crisis turned into a broader economic crisis which in turn ended up in a political crisis.
