improving government service delivery to minority ethnic ... - NCCRI

Ethnic Minority/Minority Ethnic Group
A group whose ethnicity is distinct from that of the majority of the population. In the UK an ethnic group was
defined by the House of Lords as a group that regards itself or is regarded by others as a distinct community by
virtue of certain characteristics that will help to distinguish the group from the surrounding community. 269
Ethnic Monitoring/Equality Monitoring
“Ethnic monitoring is the process you use to collect, store, and analyse data about people’s ethnic
backgrounds. You can use ethnic monitoring to:
-
-
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highlight possible inequalities;
investigate their underlying causes; and
remove any unfairness or disadvantage.” 270
(See also data collection)
Ethnicity
Shared characteristics such as culture, language, religion, traditions and so forth, contributing to a person or
group’s identity.
Equality Proofing
Ensuring that all policies and decisions have taken full account of the needs of different equality groups and
considered the possible impact of policies on different groups.
Institutional Racism
“The collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because
of their colour, culture or ethnic origin which can be seen or detected in processes; attitudes and behaviour
which amount to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist stereotyping
which disadvantages minority ethnic people.” 271
269_Commission for Racial
Equality, www.cre.gov.uk/
duty/grr/glossary.html
270_Commission for Racial
Equality, www.cre.gov.uk/
gdpract/monitoring.html
271_The Stephen
Lawrence Inquiry: Report
of an inquiry by Sir William
Macpherson of Cluny,
(1999) Cmd 4262-I,
London: HMSO.
272_O’Neill, J. Integration
of Refugees in Ireland:
Experience with Programme
Refugees 1994–2000.
273_Harris, N. Integration
into what?. Available at:
www.cre.gov.uk/publs/
connections/articles/
04wi_integration_what.html
274_Department of
Justice, Equality and Law
Reform, (2005) Planning
for Diversity, the National
Action Plan Against
Racism, p.38.
275_Farrell, F and Watt,
P (2001) Responding to
Racism in Ireland, Dublin:
Veritas, pp.26–27.
Integration
Although widely used, integration can be a problematic term with different meanings. At one end of the
spectrum is the view that integration is a two-way street to developing an intercultural society: “Integration
means the ability to participate in Irish society to the extent that a person needs and wishes in all the major
components of society without having to relinquish his or her own cultural identity.” 272
At the other end of the spectrum integration is used to suggest that minority ethnic groups should integrate into
the dominant ethnic group: “In practice the demand for integration is a cover for insisting on assimilation, and
is a revival of the same systematic 19th-century oppression of the native-born majority, with the same aim – to
eliminate diversity.” 273
Interculturalism
Interculturalism is essentially about interaction between majority and minority cultures to foster understanding
and respect. It is about ensuring that cultural diversity is acknowledged and catered for. “Developing a more
inclusive and intercultural society is about inclusion by design, not as an add-on or afterthought. It is essentially
about creating the conditions for interaction, equality of opportunity, understanding and respect.” 274
In the Republic of Ireland, the concept of interculturalism has all but replaced concepts such as
multiculturalism. 275