The Municipality of Bologna has published the Fourth Report of its Anti-discrimination Help centre (SPAD), presenting a qualitative and quantitative analysis of discrimination reports recorded between 1 January and 31 December 2025. Active since December 2021, the SPAD supports people experiencing discrimination based on racial or ethnic origin, religion, nationality or origin, including cases of direct, indirect, multiple and intersectional discrimination.
The Report, curated by COSPE and the New Citizenships, Cooperation and Human Rights Office of the Municipality of Bologna, shows how the help centre has continued to strengthen its role as a cross-cutting support structure within the Municipal Administration and in cooperation with other institutions and organisations. Its activities are co-managed by the Municipality together with a network of 35 local associations, while also cooperating with other anti-discrimination centres and networks addressing different forms of discrimination. The report also includes reflections from these associations.
In 2025, the SPAD contributed to improving access to information through multilingual materials, including resources on gender-based violence and on changes introduced by Italian citizenship legislation. It also supported specialised training for the Local Police on ethnic-racial hate crimes and organised workshops in upper-secondary schools promoting anti-discrimination and respectful communication.
A comprehensive overview of SPAD’s work and local discrimination trends
The Fourth Report is divided into four chapters. The first chapter provides an overview of SPAD’s functioning, outreach and activities. It describes the different functions of the Help centre, including the collection and management of discrimination reports, the support and guidance offered to people experiencing discrimination, and the procedures for redirecting cases concerning other grounds of discrimination or needs outside SPAD’s mandate.
The second chapter outlines the legal and institutional framework governing discrimination. It presents the main European, national and local provisions that form the current anti-discrimination framework. It also examines the policies developed by the Emilia-Romagna Region, the Metropolitan City of Bologna and the Municipality of Bologna to promote rights and prevent and combat discrimination.
The third chapter focuses on the analysis of data and information collected by SPAD during 2025. Through graphs, tables, infographics and statistical analysis, the Report describes the situation of discrimination based on racial or ethnic origin and/or religion in Bologna. This chapter also includes the results of joint data collection and monitoring activities carried out with the STAR and Spazio Cassero Anti-discrimination Centres.
The fourth and final chapter presents recommendations, reflections and observations that emerged throughout the work process. These recommendations highlight future challenges for SPAD while also aiming to inspire changes in public programmes and policies.