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The International Organization for Migration (IOM) held a training meeting on issues of ethnic and cultural distinctions (“Diversity camp”). The event was devoted to various undertakings meant to increase tolerance towards ethnic and cultural diversity in the Ukrainian society.

 

 

The IOM invited members of public organizations and administrative offices whose work is associated in a way with the field, for in-depth discussion of projects and initiatives and making concrete recommendations. They were talking about problems of tolerance, racism, xenophobia and islamophobia all day long, searching together for efficient measures to fight these phenomena which have corruptive effects for civil society.

 

Accounts of own and others’ stories of life and difficulties faced by Muslims of Ukraine were given by “Alraid” staff: Mr.Oleg Gusik, head of the information department; Tarik Sarhan, head of the department on introduction to Islamic culture; and Mrs.Olga Fryndak, head of the public relations department. 

 

 

Many of issues related with crimes originating from ethnic roots or religious hatred have not yet been solved.  According to Mrs. Tatyana Pylypenko, an employee of the Institute for Innovation Technologies at the Ministry of Ukraine for Education and Science, which worked formerly at the State Committee on Nationalities and Religious Affairs, the main difficulty is still the lack of a strict legal definition of crimes originating from ethnical roots or religious hatred. Due to this, many crimes of this category are normally qualified by investigators as minor hooliganism.

 

The plan for fighting such crimes till 2012 was adopted earlier, and the interdepartmental commission established; but it followed by the administrative reform that shared legal powers regarding national and religious groups between three departments, which stuck the process.

 

 

Dissemination of materials propagating tolerance must be added by work with risk groups: persons with xenophobia moods, which tend to be either young people reduced to the extreme by despair and lack of clearly visible future or victims of attacks, real or potential. Persons suffering from aggressions based on intolerance need medical, psychological, legal and material aid; whereas members of ethnic or religious minorities, which, by their provoking actions, may inspire attacks from the country’s ethnic majority against their brothers in faith, need elucidation and awareness of potential consequences of their actions.

 

The Ukrainian Ministry for Education and Science is engaged in full-fledged propagation of tolerance, and seeks for mutual understanding for the benefit of the Ukrainian society; that is why it cooperates (among others) with the AAPO “Alraid” who is also active in the field, with a lot of mass media and administrative offices. The Ministry is organizer of projects like “Live library”, “Diversity initiative” and others.

 

reporter.