A/HRC/7/36 page 14 80. Ms. Maria Ines Barbosa, panellist for the Working Group on People of African Descent, delivered her presentation on the empowerment of women of African descent in the region of Latin America and in the Caribbean. She related their empowerment to the trajectory of the movement of black women within the wider feminist and black movements. The fight against racism and sexism was part of the process of resistance by women of African descent. She mentioned that combating racism against women required governmental programmes and actions that addressed the disparities caused by the intersection of sexism and racism. She mentioned that, from Brazilian reports on race and sexism, it could be determined that race and colour did make a difference. Studies showed that gender and race/colour inequalities were also reproduced in the learning process and had an impact on the rates of age-grade disparity of students in primary and secondary education. Item 5 (a) (ix): Racial profiling 81. Ambassador Kasanda, in presenting his report on racial profiling, began by stressing that racial profiling was a gross violation of many human rights norms. He described it as discrimination based on stereotypes of targeted individuals, religious groups and minority communities. He highlighted the several contexts in which racial profiling was evident, and further stressed its negative effects, such as those on the individual being stereotyped and the impact it had on children and their perception of the community. The practice also led to a community’s mistrust of the police and a diminished sense of citizenship by affected communities. 82. Ms. Margaret Parsons, panellist for the Working Group on People of African Descent, presented her report on racial profiling. She considered the definition of racial profiling, as reflected in international instruments and as used by national bodies. She reviewed the deliberations of the Working Group in previous sessions, when it had discussed racial profiling, and noted that, across the globe, there was evidence of shared trends that reflected racial disparities and harsh or disparate treatment of African descendants in police stops, searches and arrests, law enforcement investigation techniques, prosecutorial discretion, and sentencing. Institutional racism in law enforcement, the criminal justice system and penal administration was a civil rights crisis facing African descendants worldwide. Racial inequality in that area was manifested indiscriminately, affecting people of African descent in similar ways irrespective of country of origin, political structure, social status or economic advantage. 83. The presentations on racial profiling elicited several comments, with observations that racial profiling was a very important issue to be addressed by the Preparatory Committee. 84. Ms. Parsons was asked if she agreed with the definition given in paragraph 72 of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action with regard to racial profiling. 85. Ms. Parsons proposed a fuller definition of racial profiling, as used by the Ontario Human Rights Commission, that incorporated banking and other social aspects where racial profiling was present and not just in reference to law enforcement.