Increase in Racial Discrimination Towards Black People in Ireland and the EU, Reports EU Agency
A recent report by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights indicates a concerning rise in racial discrimination directed at black individuals in Ireland and across the European Union over the past five years. The report, titled ‘Being Black in the EU,’ examined the experiences of more than 6,700 people of African descent residing in 13 different EU countries.
In Ireland, 524 respondents were surveyed, revealing a troubling trend. More than half of them (55%) reported experiencing racial discrimination in the last five years, marking an increase from 48% in 2016. This rate surpassed the overall level observed in the 13 EU countries surveyed (45%).
Despite the distressing rise in discrimination, the report also noted a decline in harassment since 2016. Approximately 44% of Irish respondents reported experiencing racist harassment, compared to 51% five years ago. Nevertheless, the level of harassment in Ireland remained higher than the average across the surveyed countries (30%).
Moreover, 6% of participants reported experiencing a racist attack, while a striking 64% expressed concerns about becoming victims of such attacks. This rate significantly surpassed the average across the 13 countries surveyed, which stood at 35%.
The report also delved into the experiences of children in schools, revealing that 39% of parents surveyed in Ireland disclosed that their children had encountered offensive or threatening comments at school in the previous year, while 23% stated that their children had been physically attacked. These figures were identified as the highest rates of school bullying among the countries examined.
The report additionally explored the issue of racial profiling, with 39% of respondents perceiving their last police stop as an instance of racial profiling. Those who reported such experiences exhibited lower levels of trust in the police compared to those who did not.
Racial discrimination concerning education, employment, and housing was also highlighted in the report. The level of racial discrimination in these areas experienced by black people in Ireland exceeded the average observed in the 13 surveyed countries.
In light of these findings, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights is urging EU countries to take urgent measures to address racial discrimination and harassment. These recommendations include enforcing anti-discrimination legislation, recording hate crimes, collecting equality data, and ensuring adequate resources for equality bodies. Additionally, the agency emphasised the need to combat institutional practices and cultures that perpetuate discrimination, particularly in policing, and to develop policies targeting racism in education, employment, housing, and healthcare.
Irish Samachar English News
Comments are closed.