Every year on the 21st of March, we observe the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. This is a day when we raise awareness about issues of inequality, marginalisation, and oppression faced by minority groups. The coronavirus, fear of the unknown, and the ongoing turmoil in the world have unfortunately fuelled a rise in intolerance and hate crimes. Today we see in many countries in the world, a sharp increase in racially motivated violence.
The theme for this year is Voices for Action Against Racism. This is a call for global action in fighting all forms of racism, discrimination and injustices faced by people across the globe. Racism should have no place in the 21st century. Referred to as a pandemic, racism has had a significant impact on its victims, irrespective of gender, age, or social status. Both the physical, social, and mental health of victims and their families have been greatly affected, while the perpetrators of these crimes are either not identified or end up with little or no punishment for the act committed.
As the largest network of multicultural associations in Finland, Moniheli wants to add its voice to the voices of the people here in Finland and abroad in order to condemn in the strongest of terms, racial discrimination in any form. We stand alongside every person who has faced or continues to face racism in Finland while calling on the government to intensify its action and to find long lasting solutions on how to combat racism. Moniheli is looking forward to the government's new program that aims to tackle institutional racism and discrimination in Finland and would be willing to collaborate with the authorities as one of the key players on integration issues.
We recognise and acknowledge the importance of education, awareness, and dialogue about diversity; something which we at Monheli have done continuously for the past 10 years through different projects in collaboration with member organisations and various other institutions. The intersectionality of racism must be acknowledged in policymaking and all other institutions and organisations involved in combating this problem, which therefore means that an inclusive and interdisciplinary approach is the way forward.
Fighting this pandemic called racism requires global action, in which every individual is seen an important player. I implore us all to examine our own biases and consider where they may have generated from, while calling out racist jokes or statements made by people around us. Studies have proven that there are more incidents of racial discrimination in Finland than what is being reported. Organisations should factor this into their plans to tackle racism by ensuring that immigrants are provided with sufficient information on the role of the ombudsman, the police, and the process of filling a racism case.
Together, let’s put an end to racial discrimination and see the world as one with mankind as its citizens. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr., injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, and whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.
