United Nations reports on discrimination and "subtle racism" in Portugal
On the 26th September 2012 an article published in the Público daily newspaper referred that people of African descent living in Portugal are under-represented in political and institutional decision-making, don't have equal access to education, public services and employment, are discriminated in the justice system, victims of racial discrimination and violence by the police forces [1].
This article presents some of the main information gathered in a report of the United Nations Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent based on meetings with governmental and non-governmental organisations, civil society representatives and members of the Afro-Portuguese communities during an official visit to Portugal in May 2011.
While welcoming the fact that the Portuguese immigration policies have been in the top rankings of European countries, the various programmes and action plans for the integration of immigrants and the valuing of diversity in Portuguese society, according to this Working Group report "the challenges faced by people of African descent in Portugal related mainly to their lack of recognition as a specific group in the national policy and legal framework; the lack of recognition of their positive contribution throughout history to the construction and development of the country; the lack of qualitative and quantitative disaggregated data by racial or ethnic origin; the existence of a circle of poverty, unequal access to education, public services, employment, as well as discrimination in the administration and functioning of the justice system; existence of racial profiling and police violence; underrepresentation in political and institutional decision-making processes, as well as the lack of special measures or affirmative action policies in Portugal for people of African descent or other minorities" [2].
According to statements gathered for the newspaper article, the equality body Alto Comissariado para a Imigração e Diálogo Intercultural (ACIDI) [High Commission for immigration and Intercultural Dialogue] contested some of the conclusions presented in the Working Group report, arguing that Portugal doesn't develop policies for any specific group to "ensure the same protection for all" and that positive discrimination measures ran the risk of having an opposite effect and stimulate "divisions and shocks in society that do not exist". The High Commissioner Rosario Farmhouse defended a universal approach to this problem, not the individualisation of a population group, therefore disagreeing with "a language that creates a hierarchy of victims of racism" and defending that "the situation of people from African descent should be treated in a more generic framework and integrated into the European Union's general policy against racism". The High Commissioner added that Portugal is widely acknowledged at international level regarding integration policies and intercultural dialogue, including by the United Nations, as in de 2009 Human Development Report, or the evaluations and rankings by the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) [1].
The report of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent concludes with some recommendations concerning the situation of people of African descent in Portugal: "The concrete measures recommended by the Working Group include the implementation of specific national policies and programmes addressing racial discrimination faced by people of African descent, including immigrants of African descent living in Portugal and people of African descent with Portuguese citizenship; the revision and harmonization of relevant national legislation with international human rights norms; the revision of the Government policy that impedes the collection of information disaggregated by ethnic or racial origin; the adoption of special measures to alleviate and remedy structural discrimination; and the revision of school curriculums. It also recommends the effective protection of the rights of children of African descent as contained within the Convention on the Rights of the Child, including the right to citizenship and full recognition by the State" [2].
Sources:
- Público, 26.09.2012, ONU traça retrato de discriminação e "racismo subtil" em Portugal (United Nations maps picture of discrimination and "subtle racism" in Portugal), http://publico.pt/sociedade/noticia/onu-traca-retrato-de-discriminacao-e-racismo-subtil-em-portugal-1564647, Accessed on 20.10.2012.
- OHCHR, 13.08.2012, Report of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent on its eleventh session - Mission to Portugal, http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/RegularSession/Session21/A-HRC-21-60-Add1_en.pdf, Accessed on 20.10.2012.
