Race and Ethnicity

ECRI General Policy Recommendation n° 6: Combating the Dissemination of Racist, Xenophobic and Antisemitic Materiel via the Internet

This recommendation calls on member states to combat the online circulation of racist material through the adoption of national legislation, international cooperation, awareness-raising activities particularly among young internet users and supporting self-regulatory measures taken by the internet industry.

ECRI General Policy Recommendation n°7 on National Legislation to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination

This recommendation calls on member states to combat racism through legislation by adopting specific legal provisions in the constitution, civil and criminal laws. Another proposal relates to the establishment of a specialised body charged with combating racial discrimination through monitoring executive and legislative action, providing support to victims of racism and participating in legal proceedings to challenge racism.

European Union Anti-Discrimination Policy: FROM EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES BETWEEN WOMEN AND MEN TO COMBATING RACISM

This paper examines the options open to the EU in preparing new legislation in this field. Drawing on the experience of sexual equality legislation at both the European and national level, the paper examines both the strengths and weaknesses of the existing anti-discrimination legislation. The paper also points out the importance of a combination of criminal and civil law remedies. Specific action against discrimination is unlikely to be sufficient unless complemented by measures to promote equal opportunities for ethnic minorities in all aspects of EU policies.

OSCE Action Plan on Improving the Situation of Roma and Sinti, 2004.Decision No. 566 Action Plan on Improving the Situation Of Roma and Sinti within the OSCE Area

This action plan was adopted by the Permanent Council in 2003. The goal of this action plan is to ensure that Roma and Sinti play a "full and equal part" in societies in which they live and to eradicate discrimination against them. The key guiding principle for the action plan is Romani participation in policy making and implementation. It also stresses the importance of mainstreaming Romani women's issues in all the activities.

The Struggle Against Discrimination: A Collection of International Instruments Adopted by the United Nations System

This 1996 publication is a collection of instruments adopted by the UN system, including ILO and UNESCO towards furthering the goal of the elimination of all forms of discrimination. Race, gender and disability are the three grounds covered by the instruments documented.

OSCE Permanent Council Decision on Combating Antisemitism

This document calls on member states to ensure that their legal system is free from antisemitic harassment, encourage education about antisemitism and promote remembrance and education about the holocaust, to collect and maintain statistical records on hate crimes motivated by antisemitism and so on. It calls on ODIHR to, inter alia, collect and disseminate best practices on preventing and responding to anti-Semitism.

OSCE Permanent Council Decision on Combating Prejudice

This document calls on member states to enact or strengthen laws that penalise discrimination and incitement to hatred based on "race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status", consider establishing training programmes for police and judicial officials on hate crimes, collect statistics on hate crimes and report them to the ODIHR, promote intercultural dialogue between different groups and so on.

UNCCPR General Comment 21: Humane treatment of persons deprived of liberty (Article 10)

Article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees humane treatment of persons deprived of liberty, applies to everyone without any distinction or discrimination based on race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. The Comment emphasizes the "positive obligation" Article 10 places on States Parties to prevent the torture or inhuman, degrading treatment of detained persons.

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