2023-10-25 14:44:02
Nearly half of black people living in the European Union face racism in their daily lives. This is the sad observation drawn up by an investigation by theEuropean Union Agency for Fundamental Rightspublished Wednesday October 25.
The “Being Black in the EU” study was carried out between October 2021 and October 2022 among 6,800 people of sub-Saharan African descent living in thirteen European countries, including France. The survey reveals in particular that since 2016, racist behavior has increased within the European Union.
A population more exposed to discrimination of all kinds
Nearly half of black people (47%) say they have been discriminated against in the five years preceding the survey, for all reasons combined. More than a third of them (36%) say they have suffered from it during the year preceding the survey. A figure twice as high as in the general population, where 17% of people say they have suffered discrimination during the same period.
These figures on discrimination are particularly high in Austria, Finland, and Germany with, respectively, 76%, 66% and 77% of respondents declaring that they have experienced discrimination in the last five years. Conversely, Poland and Portugal are the countries least affected by this phenomenon.
Racism that has taken root since 2016
In 2022, 45% of respondents said they had been victims of racism in the five years preceding the survey. This is 6 points more than in 2016, the date of a previous report on the subject. Furthermore, a third (34%) of them said they had been victims in the twelve months preceding the survey, which corresponds to an increase of 10 points compared to 2016.
The highest levels of perceived racism were found in Austria, Germany and Finland. This racial discrimination has increased the most in schools, at work, and in the search for housing and employment.
30% of respondents victims of racist harassment
“There has been no progress regarding harassment and racist violence”, decides the investigation. Just like in 2016, 30% of respondents said they had been victims of racist harassment. The categories most exposed are young women, people with a high level of education, as well as those wearing religious clothing.
The study specifies that 4% of respondents were victims of racist attacks within five years. Based on these statements, Finland, Germany and Denmark would be the countries most affected by the phenomenon.
On the question of their treatment by the police, more than a quarter (26%) of those surveyed said they had been arrested in the five years preceding the survey. Among them, 58% perceived their arrest as racial profiling, a practice which partly led to France being singled out by the UN in May. A majority of respondents (58%) nevertheless declared having been “treated respectfully by the police”, specifies the text.
Limited knowledge of rights and official structures
According to the Fundamental Rights Agency, “29% of respondents are aware of support structures for victims of discrimination, the same number as in 2016.” Equality organizations are best known by people of African descent in Denmark, Poland, France, Austria and Sweden.
Reports of racist discrimination, harassment or violence remain generally low. Only 9% of respondents who reported discrimination in the 12 months preceding the survey reported the incident or filed a complaint.
Several calls to strengthen anti-discrimination public policies
At the conclusion of its report, the Fundamental Rights Agency makes several recommendations to combat racism within EU countries. She calls for “strengthen anti-discrimination legislation”has “raise awareness of equality bodies promoting equality among people of African descent”. She also recommends “collect data on ethnic or racial origin to assess the situation and measure progress.”
The European body also asks member countries to develop “specific public policies” in the areas of education, employment, housing and the health system. And she calls for “concrete measures to prevent and eradicate discriminatory institutional practices” such as racial profiling.
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