Distinguish between discrimination and xenophobia?
Answers
Answer:
XENOPHOBIA :- The Oxford English Dictionary definition of xenophobia is "a morbid fear of foreigners or foreign countries". In other words, it means an aversion to strangers or foreigners.
Xenophobia is a feeling or a perception based on socially constructed images and ideas and not on rational or objective facts.
A xenophobic perception of the world reduces complex social and cultural phenomena to simplistic good and bad scenarios.
"We" (the locals) = the model, the good and normal ones, the reference who everyone should look, feel, think like - versus "Them" (the strangers) = the delinquents, the threat, the disturbance, the vagrants, the violent ones, the burglars, the invasive ones, etc. "We" (the locals) are the good ones versus "Them" (the others), the bad ones. It is obvious that we attach value to the perceptions we have of others and ourselves, such as
"We" = positive and "They" = negative.
To build our identities as individuals and members of a group, an ethnic group, a nation, etc. implies becoming aware of the diversity in society and one's difference from others, which is not negative in itself as long as diversity is not perceived as threatening and the recognition of these differences is not used for political manipulation. The other should be perceived first of all as a brother or sister, as a fellow human, not as a foreigner, enemy or rival.
It should be noted that while in eastern Europe the main targets of xenophobia are likely to be members of minority groups, in many Western countries the targets tend to be immigrants and refugees, including those coming from Eastern European countries.
DESCRIMINATION :- Neither the Universal Declaration of Human Rights nor other international agreements have a generic definition of "discrimination" , although they refer to it several times. International and regional human rights instruments dealing with specific forms of discrimination differ in their definitions depending on the type of discrimination involved.
"Racial discrimination" is defined by the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination as "any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on a equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life."
"Civilisation should be judged by its treatment of minorities"
Mahatma Gandhi
"Discrimination against women" is defined by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) as "any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field."
We can identify the following elements in both definitions:
"During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people, I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an idea, which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."
Nelson Mandela
There is a cause based, for example, on "race", on gender or on ethnic origin - she is black, she is a woman, he is Roma - of the person or group discriminated against. The person or groups that discriminate perceive the above-mentioned characteristics as a problem. There are actions that are qualified as discrimination; these can be rejection (not wanting to have a black person as a friend), restriction (prohibiting the entrance of gay people to a discotheque), exclusion of a person or a group of people (not hiring women), etc. There are consequences that can also be the purpose of the discriminatory action. All of these can prevent the victim from exercising and/or enjoying their human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Discrimination may be practiced in a direct or indirect way. Direct discrimination is characterised by the intent to discriminate against a person or a group, such as an employment office which rejects a Roma job applicant or a housing company which does not let flats to immigrants. "Direct discrimination shall be taken to occur where one person is treated less favourably than another is, has been or would be treated in a comparable situation on grounds of racial or ethnic origin." 8
Indirect discrimination focuses on the effect of a policy or measure. It occurs when an apparently neutral provision, criterion or practice puts de facto a person or persons of a particular minority at a disadvantage compared with others.