UN criticizes German authorities for discrimination against migrants
The document asserts that even second-generation immigrants face certain discrimination in professional activities. According to the report, the unemployment rate among migrants to Germany is twice as high as among local residents. Although highly qualified people are in demand on the labor market, foreigners with higher education often work as taxi drivers.
The document also criticizes Germany's policy towards asylum seekers: they are not granted full access to the labor market and receive insufficient assistance.
Such criticism is not new to the German authorities. For example, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has repeatedly directly or indirectly acknowledged the fact of discrimination against migrants in employment. In her opinion, expressed in one of her video messages, sometimes just having a non-German-sounding surname can be grounds for refusal of employment.
Moreover, the UN has already tried to draw the attention of the German authorities to the unfavorable situation regarding attitudes towards migrants. Thus, just under a year ago, a report was published in Geneva by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, Kenyan law professor Githu Muigai. The report stated that Germany is in an atmosphere of 'entrenched racism,' and the authorities are not doing enough to eradicate this problem.
Muigai, who visited a number of cities in Germany, expressed concern about the increasing 'ghettoization' of foreign diasporas in Germany. He lamented that immigrants are not rented apartments, and foreigners are increasingly forced to settle only in certain areas, which hinders their successful integration. The UN special representative expressed particular concern about the high number of right-wing extremists in Germany. The report indicated that there are 30,000 of them, with 4,800 being neo-Nazis. 9,500 racists are ready to use violence against foreigners.
The German authorities' reaction to the report was restrained. The Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights, Markus Löning, supported Muigai's call to more actively involve migrants in public service and expressed readiness to cooperate with the UN – but words were not followed by action. It is unlikely that this time the report of international officials will be taken by the German authorities as a guide to action. On the contrary, a trend towards limiting the presence of migrants in society is currently gaining strength in the country.
Adel KALINICHENKO.
