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Reducing Ethnic Profiling in the European Union - Open Society ...

Reducing Ethnic Profiling in the European Union - Open Society ...

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V. <strong>Ethnic</strong> Monitor<strong>in</strong>g and LawEnforcement Data-Ga<strong>the</strong>r<strong>in</strong>gDeterm<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g whe<strong>the</strong>r ethnic profil<strong>in</strong>g is tak<strong>in</strong>g place—and measur<strong>in</strong>g its extent—canonly be done through <strong>the</strong> use of ethnic statistics. (This report will use <strong>the</strong> terms “ethnicstatistics” and “ethnic data” as shorthand for data that is ethnically disaggregated oro<strong>the</strong>rwise organized accord<strong>in</strong>g to ethnicity.) <strong>Ethnic</strong> data ga<strong>the</strong>r<strong>in</strong>g rema<strong>in</strong>s a sensitivesubject for many EU member states. Despite <strong>the</strong> protestations of many EU memberstates that generat<strong>in</strong>g ethnic statistics is prohibited by data protection norms, 137 it isimportant to note that data protection standards do not prohibit <strong>the</strong> collection of ethnicstatistics, 138 and non-discrim<strong>in</strong>ation standards <strong>in</strong> fact call for ethnic statistics as a necessarymeans of monitor<strong>in</strong>g and address<strong>in</strong>g discrim<strong>in</strong>ation.The pr<strong>in</strong>ciple <strong>European</strong> non-discrim<strong>in</strong>ation bodies—<strong>the</strong> Fundamental RightsAgency and <strong>the</strong> Council of Europe’s <strong>European</strong> Commission aga<strong>in</strong>st Racism and Intolerance(ECRI)—have repeatedly called for ethnic data to be collected, with<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> boundsof protect<strong>in</strong>g sensitive personal data. Collect<strong>in</strong>g ethnic data makes it possible to betterunderstand and challenge discrim<strong>in</strong>atory polic<strong>in</strong>g practices aga<strong>in</strong>st vulnerable m<strong>in</strong>orities.The FRA and ECRI have called for <strong>the</strong> collection of ethnic statistics on law enforcementactivities as key to monitor<strong>in</strong>g and address<strong>in</strong>g ethnic profil<strong>in</strong>g. 139 As with o<strong>the</strong>rpatterns of discrim<strong>in</strong>ation, ethnic statistics are an essential tool to enable <strong>the</strong> detectionof law enforcement practices that focus disproportionate and unwarranted law enforcementattention on ethnic m<strong>in</strong>orities based on stereotypes about ethnicity and crime.This handbook recognizes that ga<strong>the</strong>r<strong>in</strong>g ethnic data must be done <strong>in</strong> a sensitivemanner. Understandably, many ethnic groups—Roma, <strong>in</strong> particular—rema<strong>in</strong> reluctantto endorse <strong>the</strong> generation of ethnic data on sensitive topics such as law enforcement andoffend<strong>in</strong>g. In <strong>the</strong>se cases, it is recommended that o<strong>the</strong>r scientifically sound methods be75

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