ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE RAISES QUESTIONS OVER ATTACKS ON FOREIGNERS IN FINLAND
Press Release
RD/856
ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE RAISES QUESTIONS OVER ATTACKS ON FOREIGNERS IN FINLAND
19960307 GENEVA, 6 March (UN Information Service) -- Members of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination this morning raised questions regarding the adequacy of the Finnish Government's reaction to an increasing number of racial attacks.Reviewing Finland's adherence to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Committee experts noted that the Government admitted that in recent years acts of xenophobia had increased, yet very few cases had been heard in court under penal provisions against incitement to racial discrimination. Several experts also expressed concern regarding logging in areas inhabited by the Sami indigenous people.
A Government delegation acknowledged that there were radical nationalist and racist groups in Finland, but added that they were tiny and ephemeral. According to a report submitted by the Government on the measures taken to implement the Convention, acts of violence and vandalism against aliens in Finland were sporadic and unorganized.
The Committee will adopt observations on the implementation of the Convention by Finland later in the forty-eighth session.
Discussion of Report of Finland
MARIO JORGE YUTZIS, country rapporteur for the Finnish report, said the Committee on the Rights of the Child had made rather harsh comments concerning the situation of foreign children in Finland. That panel had noted discrimination against foreign children, including hostile comments made by teachers and the requesting of residence permits of parents of foreign children being enroled in school. There had also been reports of "skinheads" holding meetings without any sort of intervention from the authorities. Furthermore, very few cases had been heard in court in which criminal charges had been brought under articles in the Penal Code on incitement against a population group.
The report asserted that although in recent years acts of xenophobia had increased, Finnish police authorities believed that they were isolated, he
recalled. However, the actual situation seemed to indicate that the whole social body was concerned. He asked the delegation to transmit to the Government his concerns regarding the progressive and persistent rise of racial problems in Finland. He hoped the Government would take measures to remedy the situation.
Other Committee experts welcomed the fact that there had been a public hearing on the Convention in 1992 as part of the preparation of the report. One member saluted the innovations seen in Finland in matters related to combating racial discrimination. But members asserted that a reform of the Penal Code proposed by the Government in 1993 would have made provisions against racial incitement more restrictive. This could have allowed loopholes for perpetrators of racial crimes. They expressed satisfaction at the fact that the proposal had been rejected.
Several experts cited reports from the Finnish League for Human Rights (FLHR), which claimed that the Government had not taken mounting racial problems seriously enough. According to the FLHR, following the passing of the 1995 Sami Parliamentary Act, which sought to protect the rights of this group, there had been campaigns by non-Samis against provisions on Sami cultural autonomy. The press had relayed comments that came close to incitement against the Sami, yet the Government had been inactive. As for the Roma (Gypsies), the FLHR asserted that existing law did not appear to protect them from discrimination practised by municipal authorities. Experts expressed concern about the lack of action to counter the open selling of magazines containing racist propaganda.
Another expert added that not everything was wrong with the situation in Finland. If the Committee was critical of Finland, it was not because it ignored the country's efforts against racial discrimination, but because it knew it could do better.
Responding to questions posed yesterday, EERO J. AARNIO, Counsellor of Legislation, Ministry of Justice, said he could not provide detailed answers on the situation of the Roma and on other issues at this session. Further information would be provided in the next Finnish report. None the less, he could tell the Committee that Provincial Advisory Boards for the Romany would begin their work in April. This work would most notably consist of monitoring the realization of human rights in this community and the preservation of the Romany language and culture.
The idea of a post of Ombudsman to work specifically in the area of racial discrimination was being studied by the Government-appointed working group elaborating a programme of action against racism and discrimination. As for the situation of small minorities, there were a few hundred Russians whose ancestors had lived in Finland for the last 200 years. There were also about
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20,000 Russian speakers who had migrated to Finland; however, they were not considered a minority. The Swedish-speaking population considered itself part of Finland. The Sami population in Lappland feared that non-Sami people wanted to take over the Sami Parliament by declaring themselves part of that group, he said. Therefore the Sami wanted to restrict the definition of what constituted a Sami.
There had been a change in Finn attitude to refugees and other migrants, MIKKO CORTES TELLEZ, Project Officer, Ministry of Education, added. Many Finns felt threatened by refugees. The police received training to increase their sensitivity to the situation of foreigners. He acknowledged that there were radical nationalist and racist groups in Finland, but he said they were tiny and ephemeral. Most of these groups were unknown to the general population. Moreover, some of the outright racist magazines published in the past had been banned. However, after their banning, some had changed their name. As there was no prior censorship in Finland, these magazines resumed publication under a different name.
ARTO KOSONEN, Head of Unit, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, said the Convention was directly applicable in Finland. In addition, as a result of the reform of the fundamental human rights legislation, the human rights monitoring mechanism had been expanded. There was no legal requirement for associations to be registered. However, if an association decided to register, the Government could vet its constitution or programme to ensure that it respected the law.
Immigrant children could study in their own language, with Finnish or Swedish as a second language, PÄIVI PIETARINEN, Legal Officer, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, added. In 1995, some 4,000 people had received foreign language instruction. In the Sami Home District, schoolchildren could study in Sami. Municipalities providing tuition in the Sami language received Government subsidies.
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