21/01/2013
FSG
The Fundación Secretariado Gitano (FSG) hosted a meeting between the United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia and related intolerance, Mr. Mutuma Ruteere, and representatives of 29 Spanish NGOs and civil society actors to discuss the situation of racism, discrimination and xenophobia in Spain and possible responses on the 21st of January 2013.
The roundtable, chaired by Mr. José Manuel Fresno, President of the Spanish Council of Equal Treatment and non-Discrimination on Grounds of Race and Ethnicity, was structured around four thematic blocks. The first focused on current tendencies related to racism and discrimination in Spain, including the worrying growth of xenophobic discourses among politicians and of neo-Nazi movements both online and in the streets. Among other issues, the NGOs conveyed the situation experienced today by the Roma community in Spain, a situation characterised by negative social images and discrimination in the access to employment and services. The second addressed existing responses, policies, measures and programmes to combat racism; the third and fourth sessions analysed the problematic situation of detention centres for migrants (centros de internamiento de extranjeros) as well as of detention centres for minors, where a disproportional presence of ethnic minority youth is observed, the vulnerability of immigrant workers in rural areas and the situation of asylum seekers in Spain.
Arrival of Mutuma Ruteere at the headquarters of the FSG
During his mission in Spain, Mr Ruteere paid particular attention to the situation of specific groups who are frequently marginalised, such as Roma, the non-citizens, immigrants – including those who find themselves in an irregular situation. He examined the current challenges to the elimination of racism in Spain and participated in a constructive manner with the government to find ways of guaranteeing the effective implementation of the laws, policies and measures adopted to fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and associated forms of intolerance, as well as to identify good practices.
He showed particular preoccupation for the situation of Roma slum dwellers in the Cañada Real in Madrid, which he visited together with the FSG team and during which he spoke with various inhabitants of the Cañada, and in particular for the forced evictions that are currently taking place there.
Roundtable chaired by José Manuel Fresno
The NGOs participating in the roundtable are the following:
Accem, Afrohispanos, Amnistía Internacional, Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos de Andalucía (APDHA), Brigadas Vecinales de Observación de Derechos Humanos, Cáritas Española, CEAR, CERMI, Plataforma de Entidades Sociales Cuarto Sector, Cruz Blanca, Cruz Roja España, EAPN-España, EAPN-Madrid, Federación de Asociaciones de Defensa de los Derechos Humanos-España, Federación de Mujeres Gitanas Kamira, Federación Estatal de SOS RACISMO, Médicos del Mundo, Movimiento contra la Intolerancia, Movimiento por la Paz, Provivienda, Proyecto Esperanza, Pueblos Unidos, Red acoge, Red Iberoamericana de Discapacidad y Derecho, SOJEM Coordinator / ICAM, UNICEF, Unijepol - Plataforma por la Gestión Policial de la Diversidad, Women´s Link Worldwide and Fundación Secretariado Gitano.
Intervention by NGO representative
Mr. Ruteere concluded his official visit with the following words:
“I encourage Spain to increase the efforts carried out for the Roma as some of them continue to face significant challenges in the enjoyment of their rights including in the fields of housing, and access to employment which became more and more difficult in this time of economic crisis. Furthermore there is still a high drop-out rates among Roma children in the educational system, and a de facto segregation of Roma children in schools largely underpinned by their families’ difficult social and economic conditions. Special attention should also be paid to non-Spanish Roma people who are still marginalized and facing hostility from the population in some places, including those from Portugal, Romania, and other countries.”
He added that “there is a need for a clear and more visible political leadership in combating racism and xenophobia. The struggle against racism cannot be effective unless it is led by the most senior political leadership. […] The economic crisis should not become the reason for rolling back progress in the fight against racism and xenophobia,” while acknowledging that the crisis has put pressure on the Government and severely affected the Spanish society. “There is already an ongoing dynamic that the Government should seriously take into consideration in order to avoid a deterioration of the situation with regard to racism in Spain.”
Full text of press statement available here.
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