International Day For Elimination Of Racial Discrimination
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Statement by Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe
Europe should fight hidden racism and discrimination
Strasbourg, 20.03.2006 - Sometimes, racist people commit acts which are as stupid as they are outrageous. Burning down a Roma settlement or vandalizing a Jewish or Muslim graveyard, for example, is offensive and causes great distress, but it is visible, blatantly illegal and relatively easy to deal with. Or, at least, more difficult to ignore.
However this form of racism and discrimination is only the tip of the iceberg. Beneath the surface of apparent equality, people belonging to ethnic, religious, sexual or any other minorities, continue to be confronted with various forms of intolerance and discrimination.
The vicious circle of popular bigotry and populist politicians finds easy victims in any group of people who fall outside the prejudiced perception of “normality”. The worst, of course, is institutional racism and discrimination, operated by bureaucrats and sanctioned with an official stamp from the public authorities.
This phenomenon is far more widespread than we think, and it affects virtually every aspect of life, from housing to education, from health to employment.
To help our member states to deal with these problems in an effective manner, the Council of Europe adopted Protocol No 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights (CETS No. 177) in 2000. The Protocol introduced the broadest possible prohibition of discrimination, guaranteeing that no one shall be discriminated against by any public authority on any ground. By signing, the member states agree to transform their good intentions into legally binding obligations.
It took five years to get the ten ratifications required for the Protocol to enter into force. Even today, almost six years after it has been opened for signature, only 11 countries have ratified it. Today, on the International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination, I congratulate all of them: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Georgia, Netherlands, San Marino, Serbia and Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. At the same time I express the hope that our other 35 member countries will follow their example.
Eleven countries haatufnews@hotmail.com have not yet signed the Protocol, and 24 countries 1 have only signed it and have not yet completed the process of ratification.
Council of Europe Press Division
Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 25 60
Fax:+33 (0)3 88 41 39 11
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