Commission against racism and intolerance publishes its annual report on the adverse impact of Covid-19 on vulnerable groups

Commission against racism and intolerance publishes its annual report on the adverse impact of Covid-19 on vulnerable groups
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02-06-2022

Manon Picard

International Justice and Human Rights Researcher, 

Global Human Rights Defence.

The Council of Europe’s Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) published today, on the 2nd of June 2022, its Annual Report which focuses on the continuing impact of the Covid-19 health crisis on vulnerable groups of society, racism in policing, and the intimidation of the LGBTQI+ community. 

In its Report, the ECRI raises its concern towards the marginalisation of vulnerable groups due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For example, with the increased digitalisation of public services, the Commission demonstrates that vulnerable groups have been further marginalised as they were not “able to fully benefit from the advantages of digitalisation on an equal footing”. Additionally, immigrants, seasonal migrant workers and asylum seekers were at a higher risk of being exposed to the Covid-19 virus due to the “sharing of accommodation and conditions of overcrowding”. The Annual Report also outlines that LGBTQI+ persons were discriminated against and marginalised in the labour market. Moreover, young LGBTQI+ persons were “exposed to particular difficulties when their sexual orientation or gender identity was not respected by their parents”. 

The ECRI also noted that in the majority of the Council of Europe’s Member States, “racism in police forces and racist behaviour in police interaction with members of the general public have been raised”. The Annual Report outlines the following examples of racism in policing:

“Racism in policing ranges from racial profiling in stop-and-search activities to the use of racist language or similar derogatory comments and in some cases even excessive use of force or unwarranted violence against individuals. Victims of such practices have often felt insufficiently supported by the authorities. In some countries, police complaints mechanisms or other relevant public bodies were all too frequently seen as failing to ensure police accountability”.

The impact of racism in policing does not stop at the individual victim, says the Report, but creates a wider negative effect on the relevant communities as a whole. The repercussions can be seen through a decrease in trust in public institutions or a growing stigmatisation of the relevant community. 

In regard of LGTQI+ persons, the ECRI’s Annual Report described the situation as to “vary widely across the continent”. Specifically, the ECRI stated that “while the levels of acceptance of LGBTI persons remained high in a number of Council of Europe member states […] the situation in many other countries continued to be of concern”. The ECRI noticed that in States where politicians or high-ranking public figures publicly expressed anti-LGBTQI+ sentiments, these sentiments “grew even stronger among members of the general public, as they were often viewed as having an official backing”. The Report warns of the tense climate this creates for the LGBTQI+ community in those States especially when governments adopted measures specifically aimed at negatively targeting LGBTQI+ persons and their rights. 

Sources and further reading:

Council of Europe. (2022, June 2). Adverse impact of Covid-19 on vulnerable groups, racism in policing, intimidation of LGBTI people: main trends in ECRI's annual report. Newsroom – Council of Europe. Retrieved on June 2, 2022, from https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/-/adverse-impact-of-covid-19-on-vulnerable-groups-racism-in-policing-intimidation-of-lgbti-people-main-trends-in-ecri-s-annual-report

Council of Europe. (2022, June 2). Adverse impact of Covid-19 on vulnerable groups, racism in policing, intimidation of LGBTI people: Council of Europe anti-discrimination body named main trends in 2021 in Europe. Council of Europe – Directorate of Communications. Retrieved on June 2, 2022, from https://search.coe.int/directorate_of_communications/Pages/result_details.aspx?ObjectId=0900001680a698d6

European Commission against Racism and Intolerance. (2022, June). Annual Report on ECRI’s Activities Covering the Period from 1 January to 31 December 2021. https://rm.coe.int/ecri-2021-annual-report-24052021-en/1680a6a6d3