information on and classification of people going through all levels of the justice system. We further find
that the aim of entering [the information] is purely statistical for the purposes of the census, and not for
analysis or reading the situation.
We find feeble coordination between the different law enforcement agencies and [their] databases, [are
set] as separate entities from each other, making the inputs conflict. In numerous countries, we lack an
acceptable level of coordination between the police agencies and the public prosecution, and the justice
and penal institutions in regards to approved databases, which leads to obtaining inaccurate data and
indicators, which do not reflect reality.
Flaws like these influence the prospect of devising accurate indicators in regards to minorities, [which
would] help to understand and determine the nature of the problems they face passing through the justice
system. Accordingly, it is impossible to take decisions and steps capable of eliminating the violations [faced
by] the minorities and guarantee their rights.
The lack of sufficient analytical studies and research, which reflect the reality of the problem and help the
agencies entrusted with it to implement the law and draw policies in a manner which would correct all
imbalances, is worth mentioning.
Hence, let me extend an invitation to the representatives of governments and specifically of civil society
organizations, urging them to pay adequate attention to these studies and the initiative commissioned [on
the grounds] of their importance in guiding the penal policies.
Se cond le ve l: The first line of contact in the justice syste m is the contact with the police
At the outset let me say, that all studies have shown that the experience of a person with the police is
what determines [their] attitude towards the justice system; the more positive it was, the more it reflected
positively on the attitude towards and the engagement with the system as a whole, as well as on the extent
of trust in it. Accordingly, the police force, entrusted with preliminary investigation, arrest, and detention, is
the mirror of the justice system, whose reform we must not lose sight of.
Violations, such as discrimination, mistreatment and torture, which people belonging to minorities face in
their contact with the police took up yesterday’s conversation, as a big part of the work [programme] of
the forum, reflecting the extent of the problem and leading us to scrutinize the reasons for its occurrence
more [in depth]. Part of what can be mentioned in this context, is that in many countries of the world, we
unfortunately find that the members of security and police [forces] lack enough training on human rights
norms in general, and minority rights in particular, and their institutional training provided by law
enforcement agencies focuses on the security aspect more than on the human aspect, and often the
cultural and social aspects are omitted.
Often, while they are trained, prepared and their skills developed, they face being moved from their jobs,
and being assigned new tasks far from the content of the courses and trainings they took (and here we
have to take into account material cost and the efforts made). We also find that certified programs and
curricula of study at police academies do not include custom programs on the issues of human rights.