A/HRC/4/19/Add.2
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3. Service for Combating Racism
44.
The Service for Combating Racism, which is part of the Department of the Interior, is the
Confederation’s representative in matters concerning the fight against racism, anti-Semitism,
xenophobia and rightist extremism. The activities of the Service include coordination and
encouragement of initiatives to prevent and combat these phenomena at the federal, cantonal and
communal levels.
45.
The Service was established on 21 February 2001 by the Federal Council with a view to
coordinating and networking internal administrative measures, and cooperating with cantonal
and communal partners and representatives of civil society. On the same day, the Federal
Council decided to create a fund for projects against racism and in favour of human rights, with
15 million Swiss francs to support projects in these areas (2001-2005). On 23 February 2005,
the Federal Council decided to continue to support the work of the Service and third-party
projects by allocating to them, beginning in 2006, an annual amount of 1.1 million Swiss
francs.24
C. Other relevant departments and services
46.
During discussions with representatives of offices and departments of special interest to
his mandate, the Special Rapporteur gathered the following information concerning measures to
combat racism and promote integration:
24
•
According to the Office for Equality between Women and Men, women of foreign
origin are more likely to be employed in precarious jobs and have lower-than-average
salaries;
•
The Federal Office for Statistics informed the Special Rapporteur that there were no
statistics or indicators for racism. The representative of the Office stated that Swiss
society was beginning to become stratified by ethnic origin;
•
The lack of a specific study on racial discrimination by the Federal Office of
Public Health;
•
In the area of employment, termination is abusive when it is given by one party
“because of a quality inherent in the personality of the other party” (article 336 of the
Code of Obligations). Nevertheless, the State Secretary for Economic Affairs has
stated that he has no information on this subject;
•
Primary school is accessible to all children, even children whose parents are in an
illegal situation.
Documents of the Service for Combating Racism may be consulted on the Internet:
http://www.edi.admin.ch/frb/.