ENAR Weekly Mail 106

24 August 2007

NEWS FROM ENAR

  • ENAR factsheet on multiple discrimination

ENAR has issued a new Fact Sheet which aims to explain multiple discrimination with a view to enhancing the capacity of ENAR members to develop mechanisms to address, in their work, the intersection between racism and other forms of discrimination.It begins by providing an overview of the historical background, as well as definitions and examples of key concepts and their implications. Subsequently, two approaches to anti-discrimination are explored and key limitations and challenges are highlighted in the EU context. Finally, examples of good practice in the area of multiple discrimination are provided. Read more

  • ENAR is recruiting a policy officer

ENAR currently has a vacancy for a policy officer, to start in December 2007. He/she will monitor policy developments within the European institutions and identify issues of concern for ENAR; research policy material and information concerning relevant topics at EU and national levels; liaise with EU institutions and other policy makers with the view to influence the antiracist agenda; carry out lobbying and advocacy work towards EU institutions; draft policy statements and policy position papers. The deadline for applications is 7 September 2007. Read more

NEWS FROM OTHER NETWORKS

  • ILGA-Europe makes submission to the Council of Europe on the needs to recognise LGBT Human Rights Defenders

The Council of Europe is considering what steps it can take to support human rights defenders. It is likely that the Committee of Ministers will make a Declaration on the need of governments and others to support human rights defenders. ILGA-Europe has made a submission documenting the extensive problems faced by many LGBT human rights defenders in some countries and urging that the Committee of Ministers specifically recognise the need to support them in the Declaration. The submission documents the climate of intolerance faced in many countries, the homophobic speech, violence, and other denial of rights which LGBT human rights defenders experience, and the failure in some countries of the courts, police and ombudspersons to support them.Read more

NEWS FROM EUROPE

  • New poll reveals attitudes towards Muslim population in Europe and US

Britons are more suspicious of Muslims than citizens of other big EU states while the French appear the most at ease with their Muslim population, according to a new poll.The survey - conducted by the Harris agency for the Financial Times and published on 20 August - suggests that the British have hardened their attitudes towards Muslim inhabitants of their country after the 2005 London bomb attacks. Compared with French, German, Italian, Spanish and US citizens interviewed for the poll, Britons are the most likely to expect a "major terrorist attack" in their country within a year (52 %), and consider Muslims as a threat to their national security (38%).In contrast, French citizens come out as the most Muslim-friendly from the online poll carried out among 6,398 adults.They showed the lowest percentage (21%) of people considering Muslims as a threat to their society and the largest percentage among the countries polled (52%) saying the Muslim community has been criticised unfairly by the majority population.Read more

Racist violence more often right-wing in the Netherlands

The percentage of racist violence stemming from the extreme right rose by 75 percent last year compared to 2005. This has emerged from the Monitor for Racism and Extremism of the Anne Frank Foundation. The total number of violent attacks that were racially motivated fell however by 10 percent. Primarily loosely organised extreme right organisations that are not officially registered or governed by an executive have increased in number and support, the report says. Organised extreme right wing parties, on the other hand, are waning in importance. The report predicts further growth in the number of extreme right incidents this year. Read more

British town opens museum about slavery

A museum charting the history of the trans-Atlantic slave trade opened to the public in Liverpool this week, focusing on the way this city enriched itself on human trafficking, but also on the resistance of enslaved Africans. The new InternationalSlaveryMuseum is about the history of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, but Richard Benjamin, its director, said in an interview that one of its main focuses is the battle for independence that slaves waged. "What I don't want people to look at is the passive aspect," he said. "Even from a historical aspect, we focus on the resistance of the enslaved Africans." He said the national museum won't be "neutral" since it was created to "actively challenge bigotry, misunderstanding and racism. That's the overall aim of this museum". Read more

Zero tolerance for 'everyday racism' in Germany

After the attack on eight Indians in the small town of Mügeln in former East Germanylast weekend, the debate about racism and right-wing extremism in Germany has been given a new impetus. The eight Indians were chased from a street party in Mügelnin the early hours of 19 August by a mob numbering around 50. They took shelter in a pizza restaurant which the mob then tried to storm as a crowd of spectators looked passively on. A force of around 70 police was needed to quell the violence. All eight Indians were injured, one seriously. There are suspicions that the crime was motivated by right-wing extremism, as witnesses reported hearing attackers shout racist slogans such as "foreigners out." A special 16-member police task force has been set up to investigate the crime. Commentators called for more action against right-wing extremism and warned against playing down the incident as a simple street brawl. Read more

EUROPEAN COMMISSION (EC) & OTHER EU INSTITUTIONS

  • FRA call for tender: discrimination and victimisation in EU member states

The European Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) has launched an open call for tender on ‘discrimination and victimisation in EU member states: experiences and attitudes of immigrants and other minorities’. The purpose of this call is to collect survey data in EU Member States on discrimination and criminal victimisation, as experienced by selected immigrant and other minority groups, which can inform the development of evidence-based policies at national and EU level to address differences in reported discrimination and victimisation as revealed through the survey. The deadline is 10 September 2007. Read more

UNITED NATIONS

Preparatory Committee for the Durban Review Conference

The first organizational session of the Preparatory Committee of the Durban Review Conference will take place from 27 to 31 August 2007 in Geneva. At its sixty-first session, the General Assembly decided to convene in 2009 a review conference on the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action to be conducted within the framework of the General Assembly, and, to this end, requested the Human Rights Council to undertake preparations for this eventand to formulate a concrete plan and provide updates and reports on this issue on an annual basis starting in 2007.Read more

  • International Day for the remembrance of the slave trade

Marking the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition on 23 August, the head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) urged reflection on slavery’s “tragic past” and noted that its modern forms cause the suffering of millions worldwide. The Day commemorates the uprising on 23 August 1791, when slaves of Santo Domingo in the Caribbean launched an insurrection which ultimately led to the Haitian revolution and promoted the cause of human rights. The main aim of the Day is to strike a balance between paying homage to the past accurately while also promoting debate on the issues of painful memories, dialogue and democratic citizenship in multi-ethnic and multicultural societies in the present. Read more

  • Newsletter - 60thanniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has issued the first issue of Info60, which will bring information to help inspire people everywhere to mark the 60th anniversary of the UDHR throughout the year leading up to 10 December 2008. Their aim is to inspire and motivate as many people and organisations as possible around the world to mark the anniversary in their own way. In the months to come Info60 will point to human rights information, communication tools and much more to support regional, national or local public information initiatives. Read more

ROMA ISSUES

  • Recommendations on the integration of Roma youngsters into education

The European Roma Information Office (ERIO) and Caritas recently issued a joint position paper issuing recommendations on the integration of Roma youngsters into education. The recommendations combine the results of a thorough study on the Roma situation in the EU, including studies on the impact of EU initiatives, with the practical lessons learned from the STEP IN project (Studying Training and Educational Paths for the Integration of young Roma). This project, co-funded by the European Commission, aimed to increase schoolattendance and career prospects for Roma Children. The final evaluation conference of STEP IN brought together practical educational experience,academic analysis, knowledge of EU initiatives and expertise in social and educationalpolicy on national and European levels. The recommendations represent this combination of theory and practice. Read more

  • Roma children left without school

A member of the Hungarian parliament is calling for a special session to see that 29 Roma children whose school closed are admitted to another school. Citing current law, schools in neighbouring districts have refused to enrol the children from the town of Csorog. "I will suggest that, in spite of the lack of time available, parliament holds a special session to deal with this matter," says MEP Viktoria Mohacsi of the Free Democrat party. An ombudsman for the children said Hungarian laws on public schooling and local government need to be amended so that schools in neighbouring districts are forced to accept the Roma children. Read more

  • Czech minister to deal with Roma issues together with mayors

Dzamila Stehlikova, Czech minorities and human rights minister, wants to cooperate with mayors of municipalities in which Roma communities live concerning the formation of a new government agency aimed at addressing social exclusion.Stehlikova has addressed the mayors of 190 municipalities.She said several towns, mainly in north and east Moravia and north Bohemia, had shown interest in cooperating with the agency.A workshop devoted to the establishment of the agency will be held next week, attended by about 100 representatives of self-government authorities, public administration bodies, NGOs, experts and Roma representatives.The agency is to assist state bodies, local authorities and non-governmental organisations in solving Roma issues, using financial funds reasonably.However, some municipalities are opposed to establishing the agency. They claim that there are already a number of projects and organisations dealing with Roma.Read more

  • NGOs urge Prime Ministers to intervene to stop forced evictions of Roma

Three non-governmental organisations, the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions,the European Roma Grassroots Organisations and OsservAzione - the Centre for Action Research against Roma and Sinti Discrimination, sent letters last week to Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi and Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu, urging them to intervene to stop the forced eviction of Romanian Roma from their housing in Rome, Italy. The evictions, stepped up following a visit by Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni to Romania in June, have been implemented by Rome authorities with the active involvement of the Romanian police. The letter also notes with concern a number of racist statements made about Roma by Romanian authorities in particular, in the context of their cooperation with authorities in Western Europe to repatriate Romanian Roma. Read more

REPORTS & PUBLICATIONS

  • Council of Europe publication on reconciling labour flexibility with social cohesion in central and eastern Europe

The Council of Europe has recently published the volume “Reconciling labour flexibility with social cohesion - The experiences and specificities of central and eastern Europe”. Even though the work place has become significantly more flexible in the former socialist countries of central and Eastern Europe, the ideas on “flexicurity” and strategies of reconciliation are usually only developed in the context of the western European welfare states. However, when considering the differences of the transformation process, it is clearly indispensable to go beyond a one-size-fits-all strategy. This volume contributes to filling this gap and to starting a pan-European reflection on the concepts and issues of labour flexibility and social cohesion. It contributes to understanding the specificities of certain realities in central and Eastern Europe, including Turkey, in order to conceive adequate strategies for conciliation. Read more

  • Research highlights immigrants’ contribution to their host societies

The POLITIS project‚ ‘Building Europe with New Citizens? An inquiry into the civic participation of naturalized citizens and foreign residents in 25 countries’, supported under the EU’s Sixth Framework Programme for research, has highlighted the positive contribution made by immigrants in their host societies.Findings are published in 25 country reports. Read more

CONFERENCES & EVENTS

  • Workshop on social investment and social protection as productive factors

The Comité Espagñol para el Bienestar Social, the Spanish member organisation of International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW), together with ICSW Europe, is organising an international workshop on “Social investment and social protection as productive factors”. The workshop will take place in Madrid from 14 to 16 December 2007. About 15 to 20 experts, from all over Europe, will participate in the seminar. The seminar is expected to yield concrete proposals and recommendations to be submitted to policy makers and to social policy activists. Interested experts are invited to express their interest as soon as possible. The deadline for sending one-page expressions of interest is 6September 2007.Read more

  • European conference on homelessness and employment

FEANTSA, the European Federation of Organisations working with the Homeless, is organising a conference entitled ‘Multiple Barriers, Multiple Solutions:Inclusion into and through Employment for People who are Homeless in Europe’ on 18-19 October 2007 in Zaragoza/Spain. It will present an opportunity to meet experts on employment and homelessness from across Europe; discuss the main findings of the FEANTSA European Report on employment; learn about effective approaches to help people who are homeless to gain employment and participate in a series of thematic workshops. Read more

VACANCIES

  • Human Rights First is recruiting a Programme Director

Human Rights First (HRF) works to combat discrimination by reversing the rise of racist, anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, and homophobic violence and reducing other bias crimes in North America, Europe, and the Russian Federation. HRF seeks a Director for their Fighting DiscriminationProgramme. The Director provides strategic guidance in identifying program focus and goals; leads research and reporting, international legal and policy analysis, targeted advocacy, and communication with expert and general audiences; and supervises and develops capabilities in a team of staff and consultants. The deadline for applications is 15 September 2007. Read more

  • Justice Initiative Fellows Programme at CentralEuropeanUniversity

The Open Society Justice Initiative, a programme of the Open Society Institute, jointly with CentralEuropeanUniversity, is launching the Justice Initiative Fellows Programme for 2008-2010. The aim of the programme is to support and further develop a network of lawyers and activists working internationally on human rights related issues. The Justice Initiative Fellows Program is a two-year programme of study and practical work experience. Up to ten applicants will be selected to participate in the 2008 program. Applicants from the following regions and countries are eligible: Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Africa, East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Central/South America.Applicants must be nominated by a non-governmental organization concerned with human rights. The deadlinefor applications is 15 January 2008.Read more

  • ECRE has a vacancy for a legal intern

The European Council and Refugees (ECRE) is looking for a legal intern. The post is due to start in October 2007 for a period of 5-6 months until February-March 2008 and is based in London. He/she will assist ECRE in fulfilling its organisational objectives by contributing to the achievement of activities within its 2007 Activities Plan; provide research support to the Legal Officer and, in consultation with the Legal Officer, identify and undertake research on a topic relating to a specific area of refugee protection. The deadline for applications is 10 September 2007. Read more

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ENAR Weekly Mail 106 – 24 August 2007