[email protected] march 2004: prague taking forward a framework for equity and rights:...
TRANSCRIPT
[email protected] 29th March 2004: Prague
Taking forward a framework forEquity and Rights: meeting
policypractice and public demands
Rowena Arshad OBE
Director of the Centre for the Education for Racial Equality in Scotland (CERES) & Senior
Lecturer, University of Edinburgh
[email protected] 29th March 2004: Prague
Scotland
“A small country but not a country of small minds”
[email protected] 29th March 2004: Prague
Essentially egalitarian
• By dint of being Scottish- essentially egalitarian
• Denial of the existence of racism or other ‘isms’ - however a recognition of poverty and dominance by England e.g. voting patterns
• Public policy did not really engage with issues of difference, diversity or equality
[email protected] 29th March 2004: Prague
A crisis of confidence
• Carol Craig talks of the Scots as a nation that has a crisis of confidence, a lack of self-belief, not having a ‘can do’ attitude- the cup is always half empty rather than half full
• In the past 40 years, over 1million Scots left the country- The Brain Drain
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Devolution and the Scottish Parliament
• When Scotland voted for the setting up of it’s own Parliament- it voted for the right to be different
Inclusion and social justice became a corner stone of it’s policy and political machinery
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Race relations and Scotland
• Legislative changes ( Race Relations (Amendment)Act 2000 and the public duty)
• Civic acceptance of the issue- Stephen Lawrence Inquiry
• Political will - the Scottish Parliament
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POWER TO THE PEOPLE
• Setting up of the Race Equality Advisory Forum - chaired by a Government Minister
• http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library3/social/reaf-00.asp
• Membership of progressive and radical practitioners, community activists and academics prepared to use terms like ‘anti-racism’ rather than just ‘multi or intercultural’
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Step…by….step…
• Public awareness campaignwww.onescotland.com
• Research on how racism affects barriers to progression in schools, colleges, universities, employment, housing etc…http://www.scotland.gov.uk/cru/kd01/red/auditethnic-00.asp
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Step…by….step…• Staff development
Creation of websites for teachers and student teachers e.g. www.antiracisttoolkit.org.uk
• Using community scrutiny e.g. police community panels
• Anti-discriminatory work within Black/minority ethnic communities e.g. gender, disability related
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LEGISLATIVE DRIVER
• Not just another piece of legislation
- places onus on institutions to prove they are being proactive
- imposes duties on those that audit and monitor to include race equality
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MAINSTREAMING
• Impact assessment and equality proofing
• Using equality straplines
• e.g: University Equality and Diversity
Committee monitors and liaises directly
with the Senior Vice- Principal
- can create structural change- time for reflection at the University of Edinburgh
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Change and Challenges• Toleration or genuine diversity• Maintaining momentum• Ensuring more systemic change : root and branch• Moving to an anti-racist approach• Multiple identities and discriminations• Delivering to raised expectations - particularly
from those so long excluded and unheard• Majority tolerance level shifts quickly - some
minorities now acceptable and others not
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SMART, SUCCESSFUL SCOTLAND
• Challenging racism- good for the political, civic, economic and
social life of the country
• Creating a nation of people comfortable with diversity and able to conduct themselves in the global market and community
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SMART, SUCCESSFUL SCOTLAND
• DiversityGood for Society: Good for Business
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Some measures for change..
• Positive action into public appointments, public positions
• Racist crime- greater sentence• Mainstreaming into policies e.g. school anti-
bullying policies, health and housing policies• Bilingual staff used but with career prospects• Well funded Interpreting and Translation
services
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REALITY
• Window of opportunity for change might be closing -we have ‘done’ race/complacency, resentment
• Mixed messages - challenge racism but treating asylum seekers poorly is less contentious
• Continued issues of exclusion, tokenism anddegrees of patronisation
• Polite racism: Equity and Rights or calculated tolerance- ‘this far and no more…’
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POLICY DEMANDS
• Evidence based policy development
• Creating change on wishes rather than real cash
• High output for little cash
• Changing agendas to fit political demands
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PRACTICE DEMANDS
• Adequate and appropriate funding- not short-term funding
• Practitioners able to be helicopters!
• Meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse but astute communities and individuals
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COMMUNITY DEMANDS
• Immediate and tangible changes
• Representation
• Power sharing
[email protected] 29th March 2004: Prague
CENTRE FOR EDUCATION FOR RACIAL EQUALITY IN SCOTLAND(CERES)
Tel: 0131 651 6371Fax: 0131 651 6371
E-mail: [email protected]/ceres