In February, the Scottish Government published its Equality Evidence Strategy 2014 which intends to build on the 2013 Strategy and improve the Equality Evidence website.
On 4 February 2014, the Scottish Parliament voted overwhelmingly to pass the Same Sex Marriage Bill.
On 6 February 2014 – International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation – the Government published a declaration to end Female Genital Mutilation in the UK and abroad.
In February 2014, the European Parliament called on the European Commission to adopt an EU Roadmap tackling homophobia and transphobia.
Following agreement by both Houses on the text of the Bill it received Royal Assent on 30 January. The Bill is now the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014.
‘Closing the Gap: priorities for essential change in mental health’ was published on 20 January 2014.
In December 2013 the Council of the European Union adopted its conclusions on the effectiveness of institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women and gender equality.
In October 2013, the Equality and Human Rights Commission published ‘Shared Understandings: a new EHRC strategy to strengthen understanding of religion or belief in public life’.
Scotland’s National Action Plan for Human Rights (SNAP) was launched on 10 December 2013 (Human Rights Day).
On Human Rights Day 2013, The Welsh Government announced its plans for a public consultation on proposals for a Declaration of the Rights of Older People.
