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STORY: OHCHR / RACIAL PROFILING
TRT: 03:06
SOURCE: OHCHR
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /NATS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
DATELINE: 17 MARCH 2017, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide shot, panel discussion
2. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Miltos Pavlou, Senior Programme Manager, Social Research Equality and Citizens’ Rights Department European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights:
“Ethnic profiling in the EU is an issue of concern, especially now with the increased security threats and the concerns. Member States need to balance, they need to guarantee the safety of the citizens and at the same time to protect the rights of groups that can be affected by unlawful, illegal profiling, which is profiling which concerns specific groups without a specific connection to specific crime, specific offense or specific intelligence that relates to specific types of perpetrators of this event.”
3. Cutaway, meeting
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Mutuma Ruteere, Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance:
“It is very important to pay attention again to what law enforcement agencies are doing, ofcourse profiling by law enforcement agencies is not new, even when we did not have mass movements of people, the problem has been there particularly targeting ethnic minorities. With regard to the current context of migration is very important to ensure that we have in place legislation, we have in place the right trainings for law enforcement agencies. There is attention being paid to oversight over law enforcement agencies and above all we have the leadership of law enforcement agencies that prioritize these rights and see rights as integral to the agenda of security.”
5.Pan right, panel
6.SOUNDBITE (English) Rachel Neild, Head, Criminal Justice Cluster, Open Society Justice Initiative:
“When stops are done on a basis of appearance they don’t produce results because we know the number of people that actually involved in crimes is really tiny. And most people have done absolutely nothing and yet they are picked out and stigmatized in this fashion. And it does not just affect the individual. They tell their families, their peers and an attitude towards the police builds up in entire communities – people loose trust in police – police loose legitimacy. When that happens people stop cooperating, they don’t report crimes; they may not support police in their investigations by providing witness evidence. This is very damaging to police efficiency and it makes communities even more vulnerable because they may need police services for their safety. And migrant communities who are afraid of undocumented people being picked up are particularly vulnerable to this.”
7. Med shot, council
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Rachel Neild, Head, Criminal Justice Cluster, Open Society Justice Initiative:
“Profiling is a pattern of multiple acts and you have to have statistics to see what is happening, so that is why we call for data with very important privacy protection that it is not abused.”
9. Med shot, Human Rights Council session
A UN Human Rights panel discussing racism and racial profiling in Geneva Friday (17 Mar) said profiling based on race, ethnicity, nationality, migration status or religion in law enforcement constitutes a violation of human rights, because of its fundamentally discriminatory nature. States cannot opt out of the international law obligation that prohibits racial discrimination.
Miltos Pavlou Senior Programme Manager - Social Research Equality and Citizens’ Rights Department European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights said “ethnic profiling in the EU is an issue of concern, especially now with the increased security threats and the concerns. Member States need to balance, they need to guarantee the safety of the citizens and at the same time to protect the rights of groups that can be affected by unlawful, illegal profiling, which is profiling which concerns specific groups without a specific connection to specific crime, specific offense or specific intelligence that relates to specific types of perpetrators of this event.”
The UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia Mutual Ruteere noted that racial profiling is illegal and prohibited under international human rights law, as this practice violates multiple human rights. He called for law enforcement agencies need to be trained to prioritise people’s rights even when ensuring security.
The Independent expert also recommended that States should enact laws that outlaw racial and ethnic profiling, adding that law enforcement agencies should also initiate investigations.
He said, “It is very important to pay attention again to what law enforcement agencies are doing, of course profiling by law enforcement agencies is not new, even when we did not have mass movements of people, the problem has been there particularly targeting ethnic minorities. With regard to the current context of migration is very important to ensure that we have in place legislation, we have in place the right trainings for law enforcement agencies.”
Ruteere added “there is attention being paid to oversight over law enforcement agencies and above all we have the leadership of law enforcement agencies that prioritize these rights and see rights as integral to the agenda of security.”
The UN expert spoke at an event held to address a debate on racial profiling and incitement to hatred, including in the context of migration, in commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination held annually on 21st of March.
Racial profiling was described as “a pattern of multiple acts” and called for the collection of statistics to determine the bigger picture of what is happening.
Speaking at the same forum, Rachel Neild Head, Criminal Justice Cluster, Open Society Justice Initiative warned that the profiling could lead to law enforcement agencies loosing legitimacy with the public.
Earlier, activist and journalist Rokhaya Diallo attributed the root cause of racism and racial discrimination to historical tendencies which have led to stereotypes.
