There is often much talk about racial discrimination without much evidence to back up the assertations, however a recent study in Ireland supplies some powerful proof. The researchers have discovered that a black African immigrant is over 4 times likely to be unemployed than a white Irish native adult.
The study was published by the ESRI and the Equality Authority which has used the study to call for renewed efforts in promoting equality in the country. Some of the responses are quite startling for example black Africans suggest they are seven times more likely to experience some sort of discrimination during the process of job hunting.
The problem doesn’t seem to be limited to the specific group from Africa though, many ethnic minorities seem to suffer similar problems. Overall they reported that they were four times more likely to suffer discrimination during job hunting too. There seems to be a serious problem in integrating minorities into Irish society.
They are surprising results but in some ways Ireland has perhaps not put in as much effort into legislation and processes to protect the rights of minorities in a practical way. There is a lot of data to support the existence of these issues however solving them does need some concerted effort.
There is perhaps some solutions to be found in the methods of dealing with asylum seekers. There was recently a Panorama study on how in the UK, asylum seekers were forced to rely on benefits which created isolation and a dependency culture. It was quite an eye opener, you can still catch the show on Panaorma although from Ireland you’ll need a proxy to access Iplayer abroad from outside the UK.
The figures really speak for themselves and it’s difficult to deny that some discrimination must be taking place. It is likely that much of this is made worse by the recession and overall harsh economic climate. However it is important that the issue is addressed and resolved in any case.