E/CN.4/1997/71
page 9
“Reports of racist incidents, ranging from discrimination to
extreme forms of violence, continue to pour in from rather specific
parts of the world. The Special Rapporteur should continue to make the
best possible use of the communications which he receives as well as the
relevant news items appearing in the mass media. While dwelling upon
the media, the Special Rapporteur should also examine this far-reaching
dissemination machinery from the angle of paragraphs 3 and 8, as well as
operative paragraph 6, of Commission on Human Rights resolution 1996/21.
For the first time, the question of using the mass media to incite
violence based on racist motivations has been included in a resolution
adopted by the Commission. This new element needs to be addressed with
due focus.”
B.
The Centre for Equal Opportunities and
Opposition to Racism in Belgium
20.
In its 1995 report, the Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to
Racism in Belgium states:
“Between 1 January and 1 October 1995, 665 complaints were lodged,
338 (52 per cent) of them from Dutch speakers, and 306 (48 per cent)
from French speakers. A fifth of all complaints from Dutch and French
speakers alike related to perceived discrimination in entry into and
residence within the country. The Centre also receives complaints about
public services and disputes in daily life, each of these categories
accounting for 11 per cent. Then there are complaints of discrimination
in employment (10 per cent); last comes the delicate matter of relations
with and vis-à-vis the forces of law and order - the 'law and order'
sector accounts for 9 per cent of complaints.” 12
On the subject of the victims’ profiles, the report says that
“63 per cent are Belgian, many of them naturalized. The largest group
of non-Belgians are Moroccans (10 per cent), followed by Zairians
(5 per cent), Turks (4 per cent), and Italians (2 per cent). The
remaining 16 per cent are a diverse group of people from the former
Yugoslavia, Romania, Liberia, Poland, Ukraine, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria,
India, Ghana, Rwanda, Peru, Tunisia, Guinea, Bangladesh and so forth.”
21.
The report also says:
“... most of the complaints about residence concern expulsion or
obtaining a visa and work permit.
“Almost all the complaints are lodged against public institutions,
and in over half of all instances they are specifically concerned with
the Aliens Office. Two thirds of the cases are reported by people
belonging to an organization or group, who are all the more indignant
that no account is taken of the victims’ often difficult personal
circumstances. There are often complaints of over-long procedures,
probably due to negligent handling of the file in the service concerned.