Türkiye has made progress in a number of fields in recent years but some issues continue to give rise to concern, according to the latest report by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), published today.
The report highlights several positive developments since 2016, including the establishment of the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Türkiye (HREIT), efforts to provide training on hate crime to law enforcement officials and measures to provide crucial assistance – including education – to an extraordinarily high number of people seeking international protection.
Specific steps welcomed by the report include a crackdown on insulting and prejudicial use of social media against African students and a mapping exercise on the concentration of Roma pupils in disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
Despite the progress achieved, ECRI notes that some issues give rise to concern.
These include shortcomings concerning the mandate and independence of the HREIT, as well as the limiting effect of compulsory religious education classes on inclusive education.
ECRI also reports that no steps have been taken to adopt and implement an action plan for LGBT persons in Türkiye, and – according to NGOs – there is no formal mechanism of dialogue between the authorities and LGBTI groups.
Discrimination and intolerance against certain religious and ethnic minorities remains a problem, according to the report, and hate speech against such groups is widespread in the media. The country also faces a serious problem with racist and anti-LGBTI violence, and the situation of many persons belonging to the Roma community remains very difficult.
Furthermore, local authorities do not receive financial allocations from the government according to the number of residents receiving international protection. This places a particular strain on local budgets and creates a discrepancy between municipalities in terms of the services available.
Today’s report, which has been published together with the viewpoint of the authorities, includes a number of recommendations and requests for action, two of which will be subject to follow-up by ECRI within two years.
The report is available in Turkish.
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