Ethnic origin and religion remain the most common reasons for discrimination in schools and universities in Austria, the annual report 2019 of the Initiative for Non-Discriminatory Education (IDB) shows. The attacks rarely had consequences: According to the IDB, in 69 percent of the cases there was no follow-up work or a conversation with the perpetrator.
This time, 403 cases were reported to the non-profit association via various digital channels and partner organizations. That is a third more than in the previous year, which IDB representative Marlies Alt attributes at the press conference to the stronger networking and awareness of the association. It is still not a complete picture, just the tip of the iceberg. When cases are reported, school heads often see no need for action. “The fact that such statements are ignored is one of the fundamental problems in our education system,” criticizes Alt. For board member Persy Lowis-Bulayumi, the numbers are “definitely a sign of poverty for our society and our education system”. Apparently had not yet arrived.
In 2019, 44 percent of reported cases discriminated against people because of their ethnic origin. Almost as many (43 percent) reported their religion or belief as grounds for discrimination, including almost three quarters of the reports relating to Islamophobia, a quarter to antisemitism and two percent to discrimination because of atheism. In two thirds of the reported cases, those affected did not openly show their faith. For Alt, this shows that “invisibility of religious affiliation definitely does not protect against discrimination”. Discrimination based on sexism (ten percent) or disability (three percent) was reported comparatively rarely.
Source: science.apa
