MIL OSI Translation. Government of the Republic of France statements from French to English –
Source: Swiss Canton of Vaud – news in French
Its systemic nature is highlighted by studies. On the occasion of the Assises, the IntégrAction 2024 Prize also rewarded the NELA and Action-parrainages associations.
Organised by the Cantonal Consultative Chamber of Immigrants (CCCI) chaired by Guy Gaudard, the 2024 Immigration Conference was dedicated on Saturday to the fight against racism, the subject of the 2004 edition. “20 years later, if things have moved forward, the findings have also evolved. Racism is a very real reality in Switzerland”, underlines Isabelle Moret, head of the Department of Economy, Innovation, Employment and Heritage.
Since then, the Cantonal Office for the Integration of Foreigners and the Prevention of Racism (BCI), created in 2009, has set up a consultation for people facing racism since 2012, which was subsequently supplemented by that of the Lausanne Office for Immigrants (BLI). A new consultation is currently being planned in the north of the canton. To counter systemic racism, action plans are underway or being considered with various cantonal services, including the police, schools and the health sector,
During the Assizes, Ludovic Vérolet, a lawyer specializing in this field, noted that, while the criminal law against discrimination and incitement to hatred (article 261 bis of the penal code) certainly makes it possible to counter racist acts and behavior, despite 30 years of existence, it still faces challenges in its application (the public dimension of the act is necessary for the offense to be constituted and the definitions of the groups or individuals targeted are very restrictive).
Denise Efionayi-Mäder, deputy director of the Swiss Forum for Migration and Population Studies at the University of Neuchâtel, notes the existence of real systemic racism, a racism that goes beyond individual deviant behavior and can unconsciously influence institutions.
Anthropologist Ninian Hubert van Blijenburgh noted that the scientifically based claim that races do not exist (there is only one human species) must be supplemented by an explanation that accounts for human diversity. He emphasizes that diversity education is essential to counter racist misrepresentations.
Journalist Julie Eigenmann also presented the exploratory survey “Switzerland in flagrant denial” which brings together testimonies and analyses on various concrete facets of racism. Several articles taken from this survey were exhibited at the Lausanne School of Social Work and Health (HETSL) which hosted the Assises this year.
The IntegrAction 2024 prize was awarded by the president of the jury, Professor Patrick Bodenmann, head physician of the Department of Vulnerabilities and Social Medicine at the University Center for General Medicine and Public Health (Unisanté), to two winners: on the one hand, the NELA association, which welcomes, supports and supervises young migrants through sponsorships and the implementation of cultural and social projects, and on the other hand, to the Action-parrainages association, which connects families living in the canton and migrants in order to facilitate their integration, by promoting the learning of French and the creation of links with the population.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.