Reports of racist incidents increased by almost a quarter in 2023, according to the Racism Advice Centers’ annual report – which will be published on Sunday (April 28). Among the 876 cases recorded, the majority relate to xenophobia and anti-Black racism and took place at school.
Last year, members of the Network of Advice Centers for Victims of Racism received 168 more reports only in 2022, specify in a press release the Federal Commission against Racism (CFR) and humanrights, an NGO which defends human rights in Switzerland. This discrimination mainly took place in educational settings, in the workplace and in public spaces.
Awareness raising in schools
Many of the reported cases – just over 180 – took place within the framework of training, particularly at school. Not just in the playground, but also through school groups created by students on social media.
The mother of an 11-year-old child, for example, reported to a counseling center that her son was regularly called a “nigger” on his class WhatsApp group. The school, however, did not want to intervene, arguing that this group of students was not its responsibility.
Faced with the constant increase in racism at school and other places of education, the CFR and humanrights are calling for a strengthening of prevention in schools. Educational work must be carried out with students and all school staff must be properly trained, demand the two organizations. It is also important that means of intervention are put in place, they further emphasize.
Repercussions of the conflict in the Middle East
If xenophobia (387 cases) and anti-Black racism (327 cases) were the most frequent reasons for discrimination in 2023, the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East has significantly increased other types of racism. , concludes the report. This is the case of anti-Arab (69 cases) and anti-Muslim (62 cases) racism – closely linked -, as well as anti-Semitism (46 cases).
The Network of Advice Centers for Victims of Racism has also noted an exacerbation of racist phenomena during electoral and voting campaigns. In 2023, the centers received during the election period numerous reports from people who were not directly discriminated against but who wanted to act against the dissemination of prejudices and discriminatory messages. This solidarity mobilization is essential to fight against racism, notes the press release.
Faced with this increase in racist incidents, the CFR and humanrights are sounding the alarm. In particular, they call for urgent structural and institutional change, not only in education and politics, but also in the employment and housing sectors.
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