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Qualitative Info |
These policies and programmes aimed at combating racism and related ideologies in Portugal were implemented mainly through the Plano Nacional de Acção para a Inclusão (PNAI) [National Action Plan for Inclusion] - which presents the Portuguese national strategy in the area of poverty and social exclusion - and the Plano para a Integração de Imigrantes (PII) [Plan for Immigrant Integration].
Since its beginnings the Plano Nacional de Acção para a Inclusão (PNAI) [National Action Plan for Inclusion] has the immigrant population as one of its main target groups (toghether with people with disabilities, children and older people). The third edition of PNAI (2006-2008) addressed immigration and disabilities through the lens of gender perspective and multiple discrimination. The third edition of PNAI (2008-2010) added also ethnic minorities as a target group.
The I Plano para a Integração de Imigrantes (PII, 2007-2009) [I Plan for Immigrant Integration] and the II Plano para a Integração de Imigrantes (PII, 2010-2013) [II Plan for Immigrant Integration] adopted several measures accross various policy areas, including the integration of immigrants in culture, language, employment, professional training, housing and combating racism and discrimination.
For the I Plan for Immigrant Integration (2007-2009) the "Racism and Discrimination" area of intervention included six main measures (pp. 30-31):
- Effective equal opportunities of employment, to combat all forms of ethnic discrimination;
- To combat discrimination and racism in access to housing;
- Publicising and training in the fight against racism and racial discrimination;
- To extend the scope of the Immigation Observatory in studies on discrimination in school and in the areas of housing and the job market;
- To encourage aid for victims of acts of racism and discrimination;
- Legislative alterations to extend the capacity of intervention by the Commission for Equality and Against Racial Discrimination.
The "Sport" area of intervention included also a measure aimed at combating racism and discrimination: "To overcome and eliminate discrimination and racism in sport" (p. 26). Accordind to the final evaluation report of the I Plan for Immigrant Integration around 50%-59% of the measures of the "Racism and Discrimination" area of intervention were implemented (p. 85).
The II Plan covering the period 2010-2013 added two new areas of intervention: promotion of diversity and intercultural dialogue; elderly immigrants. It includes 90 measures distributed accross 17 main areas of intervention. The "Racism and Discrimination" area of intervention includes four main measures (pp. 31-32):
- Legislative changes to reinforce the intervention capacity of the Comissão para a Igualdade e Contra a Discriminação Racial (CICDR) [Commission for Equality and Against Racial Discrimination] - on regulatory offences for the practice of discrimination according to nationality or ethnic origin, to make processes more efficient by making mediation part of the legal process, establishing deadlines for examintion phases and simplifying procedures;
- Awareness and training for combating racial discrimination - through the CICDR website, reinforcement the training of non-governmental organisations and immigrant associations in combating racism and discrimination;
- Combating racial discrimination in sport - through the dissemination of messages on combating racism and promoting intercultural diversity in sporting events, in articulation with the respective sporting federations;
- Breakdown of statistical data - by collecting and processing statistical data on racial discrimination, differentiated by gender, on the basis of regulatory offences for general discrimination in employment.
Sources
ACIDI (2007), I Plan for Immigrant Integration (2007-2009), http://www.acidi.gov.pt/_cfn/4d346c9b80687/live/Consulte+a+versão+do+Plano+2007-2009+em+inglês+, Date of access: 13.12.2011.
ACIDI (2010), II Plan for Immigrant Integration (2010-2013), http://www.acidi.gov.pt/_cfn/4d346c9b80687/live/Consulte+a+versão+da+Plano+2010-2013+em+Inglês, Date of access: 13.12.2011.
ACIDI, (2010), Relatório Final: I Plano para a Integração de Imigrantes (2007-2009), http://www.acidi.gov.pt/_cfn/4d346c9b80687/live/Conheça+o+Relatório+Final+do+PII+%282007-2009%29, Date of access: 13.12.2011.
PNAI, Plano Nacional de Acção para a Inclusão, http://www.pnai.pt, Date of access: 13.12.2011. |