Structural problems cannot be fixed without structural measures
Moniheli ry thanks the government for the statement and for presenting a clear will to fight racism in Finland. The ideological content of the statement is important, but the measures it sets out are even more important. Unfortunately, these measures appear to be fragmented and insufficient to tackle the problem areas of the government programme.
The challenges of racism and discrimination in Finland are inherently intersectional and often structural. Therefore, effective remediation requires structural measures. With a few good exceptions, the measures outlined in the government statement are largely targeted at singular problems, and therefore of limited impact.
Best measures are effective
The statement contains some very good measures. In particular, Moniheli praises equality and gender equality programme covering the entire education system, and developing equality skills for welfare professionals. At their best, these measures will have a broad structural impact and thus address the root causes of the current challenges.
The strengthening of the Advisory Council on Ethnic Relations (ETNO) and the preventive activities of the police are also highlighted as measures that will increase inclusion and good community relations on a large scale.
From the outset, the government programme has recognised the importance of NGOs in providing services, especially to vulnerable client groups that the public sector may not reach. The strengthening of NGO cooperation is also included in the statement from the perspective of the NGO strategy and the promotion of equality in working life. Moniheli commends the government for these measures, but still considers effective cooperation impossible if cuts to the NGO sector are implemented.
The challenge is concrete and equal implementation
The main challenges of the government statement relate to the risks of implementing the measures and their low effectiveness. There is a need to ensure that the measures are implemented in consultation with their target groups, and that measures are ready to be adapted in the light of the consultation.
The annual social roundtable chaired by the Prime Minister is a great way to provide visibility and opportunities for minorities to participate. Ensuring that a representative group of discussants is actually invited to these events is crucial to the success of this approach, so that no relevant group is overlooked. For example, the group preparing the government statement did not consult any mental health professionals or representatives of the Islamic religion. The other main religious denominations were well represented in the consultation. Given the religiously motivated hate speech faced by the Muslim population, consultation with their representatives would have been well justified. Such carelessness must not be repeated in the Prime Minister's debates.
The low effectiveness of the measures is linked to their limited target group. While, for example, more diverse recruitment in the Government is in itself a worthy cause, recruitment discrimination should be tackled on a much broader scale. The current government programme, which holds the individual responsible for matters over which he or she has no control, is also reflected in the measures. It is reflected in immigration, integration and employment policy choices, where success is seen as a consequence of individual choices rather than as an attempt to achieve equality of opportunity by changing structures.
Are Moniheli's comments covered in the statement?
Moniheli raised three main points at the Prime Minister's Office hearing:
- The integration process is left to the individual.
The proposed measures do not concern the integration process at all. Differences in the language skills or social structures of the country of origin of the immigrants result in a very diverse group of immigrants. They cannot be treated as one mass without risking the realisation of equality. For example, services that are designed on the assumption that a person has an education or digital skills suitable for employment in Finland discriminate against disadvantaged immigrants.
- Discriminatory structures hinder the employment of foreign speakers more than a lack of language skills.
Moniheli agrees with the government that employment is an excellent way to promote integration. However, the challenges of employment are not solved by learning Finnish alone, if recruiters reject an applicant on the basis of their name. The Government's list of measures includes a reference to recruitment discrimination, but the measure is totally inadequate. Structural racism in recruitment will not be remedied by training for companies in TE Offices, but by strengthening the work of the Equality Ombudsman and the possibilities for individuals to report discrimination, and by increasing incentives for hiring foreign-language speakers.
- Cuts in the third sector threaten the viability of NGOs.
NGOs have an important role to play in strengthening equality and fighting racism. They are more flexible than the public sector in highlighting and addressing grievances. This is why Moniheli raised the issue of the capacity of NGOs at the hearing. Among the measures taken by the government, the NGO strategy and its implementation are mentioned. We ask how the continuity of the NGOs' activities and thus the implementation of the government's programme will be ensured if there are still no changes to the plans for funding cuts for NGOs.
The statement is an important step forward
We are grateful for the opportunity to be consulted on the design of the statement. Moniheli was one of 25 actors invited to an oral hearing for the statement. In addition to the oral consultation, we also submitted our written comments to the group preparing the statement. We thank the government for designing the measures and for declaring zero tolerance for all discrimination. We will continue to work with our network to keep equality, integration and anti-racism on the agenda.
