'First ever EU-wide survey of minorities: Mapping Discrimination across Europe' Dec 9th 2009
Statement by Chair of the Fundamental Rights Agency Stasia Crickley
The survey shows beyond any doubt that discrimination is a major problem in the every day lives of many people from minorities across the EU, including in Ireland. In the largest EU survey of its kind, FRA interviewed 23,500 people from minority groups in the 27 member states regarding their experiences of discrimination, racism and policing. In Ireland 54% of Sub-Saharan Africans said they had experienced discrimination in the past twelve months.
“We cannot afford to be complacent in Ireland and beyond, and one year after the abolition of the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism I am very concerned about the lack of any visible response to the changing realities of racism and discrimination as experienced by old minorities including Travellers and the new comers who made the Celtic Tiger possible. Recession must not be used to put full realisation of rights on hold. Resources may be limited, but limited resources must not be used as an excuse for taking power away from local groups including Community Development Projects who play crucial roles in empowering people to realise their rights”, said Anastasia Crickley, Head of Department of Applied Social Studies and Independent Representative for Ireland and Chairperson of the Fundamental Rights Agency on the eve of the launch of the EU MIDIS survey in Stockholm.
In Ireland the Minority group focused on was Sub –Saharan Africans living in the greater Dublin area who were among the top ten most discriminated groups in the survey.
The key issues to emerge in the Irish context were a lack of knowledge among minority respondents on reporting incidents of discrimination and also serious level of mistrust of the agencies tacked with responding to discrimination.
Press release by the Fundamental Rights Agency
The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) releases the results of its survey of over 23,000 individuals from ethnic minority and immigrant groups about their experiences of discrimination, racist crime, and policing in the EU. The results reveal shocking evidence about the discrimination faced by minorities in everyday life; in the classroom, when looking for work, at the doctor’s, or in shops. On the eve of the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion, the FRA calls for targeted policies to combat the marginalisation of these groups.
FRA Director Morten Kjaerum: “The results of the EU-MIDIS survey reveal the serious difficulties faced by significant numbers of those from ethnic minority and immigrant groups in accessing the most basic of services. Discrimination in education is particularly damaging as it can have a negative impact on young people’s opportunities in the labour market. Actors at all levels, from governments to service providers, must use this evidence, collected on the ground through in-depth interviews, to develop targeted policies to prevent the exclusion of these groups from European societies.”
Everyday Life
11% of North African respondents had experienced discrimination on the basis of their ethnicity when in, or simply trying to enter, a shop. 17% of Roma indicated that they had been discriminated against by healthcare personnel. Almost a quarter (22%) of Sub-Saharan Africans were discriminated against because of their ethnicity at least once when looking for work.[1]
Victims of crime
1 in 4 (24%) of all respondents was a victim of crime at least once in the last 12 months. Members of minority groups, often stereotyped as criminals themselves, can clearly also be victims of crime in need of assistance, protection, and support.
Police stops
Among all North Africans who were surveyed, 1 in 5 (19%) considered that they were stopped by the police specifically because of their ethnic minority background. This leads to a perception of discriminatory police treatment amongst some respondents.
Awareness of Rights
The survey exposes the serious lack of awareness of anti discrimination legislation amongst ethnic minority and immigrant groups. Almost half (46%) of respondents were unaware that legislation exists forbidding discrimination against people on the basis of their ethnicity in relation to shops, restaurants, bars or clubs.
“Nothing would happen”
82% of those who were discriminated against in the past 12 months did not report their most recent experience of discrimination either at the place where it occurred or to a competent authority. The most common reason for non-reporting was the belief that ‘nothing would happen’. This lack of reporting indicates that official figures on racist discrimination constitute just the ‘tip of the iceberg’ when it comes to the true extent of the problem. It also shows that those who discriminate can act with impunity as their actions are not brought to justice.