Ask Finland’s Romany minority If you want to understand how the Finnish police service reinforces and defends white power and privilege. I did this recently, and the answers did not surprise me.
According to a member of the Roma community, the Finnish police play down discrimination, especially if it involves a member of that minority group.
“They simply don’t care to investigate cases of discrimination against the Roma because some of them are so racist,” the person said, agreeing that institutional racism in the Finnish police service is a problem.
One of the problems with discrimination cases, hate speech and hate crime is that due process is slow and ineffective.
It is not only the Roma but migrants and other visible minorities that have to deal with a police service that takes its time big time with discrimination and racism cases.
Certainly, the question we must ask is why.
The answer: Because that is the way things are meant to be.
Do I trust the police service in handling discrimination and racism cases?
Racism squanders talent, growth, and opportunities.
Migrant Tales
Prejudice is an emotional commitment to ignorance.
Most of our perceptions of visible migrants and minorities are erroneous and an outright lie. Remember when Perussuomalaiset* party secretary, Riikka Slunga-Poutsalo, labeled all refugees in 2015, including those from countries like Syria, as economic migrants and welfare shoppers?
This populist and hateful statement by Slunga-Poutsalo was supported by Foreign Minister Timo Soini and Prime Minister Juha Sipilä’s government. Remember the prime minister? He’s the one who offered his home to asylum seekers but then broke his promise like so many others during his mandate.
Since they are “welfare shoppers” and “economic migrants” we give into lies that in turn help justify our ignorance and prejudice. It is the fuel and justification for tightening immigration policy and socially excluding such people.
#sokeaoikeus takaa yhdenvertaisen oikeusturvan jokaiselle meistä. Tällä hetkellä lakimuutoksista johtuva resurssipula on vaarantanut turvapaikanhakijoiden oikeusturvan. Turvaa sokean oikeuden toteutuminen: https://t.co/bPQvDDBcTU
Oikeus nyt on oikeutta tulevaisuudessa. pic.twitter.com/LXtGRhrJkY
— Pakolaisneuvonta (@pakolaisneuvo) March 9, 2018
Such lies about asylum seekers and migrants spread by politicians and the media have labeled us as a problem that should be treated with suspicion and makes it ever-difficult to get employed.
Ibrahim [1] is an Iraqi asylum seeker who came to Finland in 2015. He is a computer hardware specialist who regularly applies to 25-35 jobs weekly.
“During my stay in Finland, I have applied to hundreds of jobs,” he admitted. “I’m still unemployed.”
Ibrahim said that the vast majority of job applications he applies to are through Linkedin (70%) followed by different Facebook groups (20%) and the rest in places such as Jobs in Helsinki, fairs and the like (10%).
“Very few companies tell me outright that they cannot hire me because I am an asylum seeker,” he said. “I feel that the main reason why they don’t want to hire me due to fear.”
Ibrahim agrees that those that tell him that they cannot hire him because he is an asylum seeker are guilty of discrimination. Section 6 of the constitution states clearly that everyone irrespective of his or her background is equal before the law.
“What can I do?” he said about discrimination. “Other factors make it hard for me to find a job. Government restrictions and red tape.”
Despite the situation, Ibrahim won’t give up and will continue to search for a job in Finland despite all the obstacles he faces.
* The Perussuomalaiset (PS) party imploded on June 13 into two factions, the PS and New Alternative, which is now called Blue Reform. Despite the name changes, we believe that it is the same party in different clothing. Both factions are hostile to cultural diversity. One is more open about it while the other is more diplomatic.
A direct translation of Perussuomalaiset in English would be something like “basic” or “fundamental Finn.” Official translations of the Finnish name of the party, such as Finns Party or True Finns, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and racism. We, therefore, at Migrant Tales prefer to use in our postings the Finnish name of the party once and after that the acronym PS.
[1] The name of the asylum seeker was changed in order to protect his identity.
By Zaline Ametova*
Discrimination against women who are advancing their career is a breaking down the rule of equality. Men and women are created equal. All the rights, treatment and opportunity that a man has should also be even to women who are pursuing careers of any sort. It will be called unfair, biased and not just when it comes to women.
People should know that women are not just simple creatures that needed men. Women are also born to be great and competitive. Whatever the gender, either male or female, working for an academic career should not be questioned especially when a woman is on the way of establishing a foundation of her career.
Also, opportunities for females should not be limited by individuals and institutions. Policies should be implemented regarding with the proper treatment of women in every academic career they are with. Women are fully aware how powerful a man is, but, they can all do the same.
There is no particular difference. Only in gender but why is it that academic institutions limit this capacity of women? Not because women impregnate means that they are not any more capable of the job. Come to think of it.
Academic Institutions should not implement this type of criticisms for women. A policy should be implemented to fight this irrational behavior of injustice upon women. Women are born to be fighters and machines. They have minds and hearts that run the same with a man. Not just look for the superficial qualities that they have for you will find it literally different and quite assuming. Few are now leaving in a world that is not only dominated by men but also by women.
A variety of women of big names in the society is now breaking the rules of men over women. They are some of the inspiring names in the industry that breaks the rule of men domination. We are in the evolution of equality. Men and women should be seen like that.
Furthermore, the academic profession should work the same treatment of opportunities for the females. Most of the women will see this as a type of insult to their capacity to do the job. Academic Institutions should be aware of the issues and make certain moves to resolve the rise of women’s concern as to the academic career that you guys are trying to snatch away from them.
It is an opportunity that needs to be freely given to everyone. Male and female. No even distribution and no discrimination. Regardless of what and who you are, advancement in an academic career path should be grabbed by enthusiasts and optimism.
Moreover, numerous policies should be implemented to ensure that women are not treated lowly and unfairly. This is the best way to protect women from the tyrannical slavery of individuals and institutions who prefer men over women in any of the academic careers. All people are created equal regardless of the gender.
Discrimination is a disease that plagues many organizations and often causes more damage to the organization such as profit loss, economical issues, and natural disasters. This is because discrimination destroys the people who make up the organization and causes damages irreparable by money or promotion. Career paths and patterns are things most affected by such a plague because they damage people mentally, emotionally, and socially. If a person is mentally and emotionally damaged by discrimination, this person becomes paralyzed and unable to function properly within the organization. Also, socially, victims experience role malfunction and resort to isolation for comfort rather than ask for help from colleagues.
The following tells a short story that reflects how discrimination in the academe and the workplace can negatively affect a person and cause problematic career patterns:
On an interview for a Ph.D. position at a university in Netherland, John, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was met by a professor who utterly undermined his professional capabilities just by being mean and dismissive. During the interview, the professor commented on his subject grades and thesis grade to be quite higher than usual compared to Netherland standards. He sounded surprised, but not impressed.
While scrutinizing his CV after a few discussions, the professor was shocked to discover that John is currently taking up a second degree in economics at the time. John expressed his reasons freely with confidence, explaining the benefits of having a second degree in economics. However, the professor took it differently and concluded that the second degree puts John at a great disadvantage because he might forget all about physics—the major he’s applying for.
Though the physics major remained John’s focus for 11 years, the professor thinks that the economics degree can easily overwhelm him and redirect his focus away from physics. Sharing his point of view was understandable for John; however, the professor commented about something that is quite irrelevant to the interview’s topic—his age. At 27, he’s pretty young and obviously puts him at an advantage over other older applicants, but the professor thought otherwise. He said that John is too old for a Ph.D. because by age 30 when he finishes his Ph.D., he thinks John will have less time to contribute to the science. This came to a shock to John because he met many other Ph.D. candidates and students who are way older than him and yet he is considered too old? It made no sense to him but he just calmly put up with the professor’s irrelevant and somehow mocking comment (based on the tone of the professor’s voice). Things got worse when John later received an email from that same professor. The email stated that John was “a bit lost in life” and unfit for the position. This bothered him greatly and left him wondering how on earth did he end up being judged like that? He was not even tested for his knowledge and skills yet, but he’s already been dismissed as unfit or incapable for the position. The experience caused him feelings of depression and resentment. After all his hard work and aspirations in the field, he was suddenly and rudely judged by someone who didn’t even try to understand him.
Continue reading “Zalina Ametova:* How discrimination destroys academic careers”
If we wanted to give an extreme picture of how people are “integrated” into society, we could go back to the 1940s when Jews, the Roma and other undesirables of the Nazi regime were transported in boxcars to death camps. Just like those that were separated and sent to go the gas chamber or would be worked to death, migrants face the same process but in a different context.
Instead of sending people to their deaths or keeping them alive for a while, the system separates migrants into two general lines: whitewashing potential and disenfranchisement.
A good example of systematic whitewashing that took place in Finland happened right after the turn of the last century and in the 1930s when the dark shadow of fascism descended over Europe.
Suomalaisuuden liitto (the Association of Finnish culture and Identity), whose chairperson is today none other than Sampo Terho, boasts on its webpage that in 1935-36 there were over 200,000 people (about 6% of the population) that changed their surnames into Finnish ones. The Association of Finnish Culture and Identity claims that it “has played a remarkable role in Finnish cultural life.”
True, they have played a remarkable role in whitewashing and destroying diversity in Finland.
The document below shows how my grandparent’s family changed their surname in 1931:
“In light of the petition made by military instructor Harald Vilhelm Handtwargh, the governor of the province of Mikkeli grants his family permission to change their surname to Harvo; this is backed by statements from the vicar [of the Lutheran church], Suomen Sukututkimusseura [Finnish Genealogical Society], and the Suomalaisuuden Liitto [Association of Finnish Culture and Identity.”
In my opinion, this form of whitewashing was an aberration and did nothing more than leave question marks for future generations to answers.
I sent an email to Finnish Genealogical Society and asked on October 14 how they define Finnish identity, cultural and ethnic diversity.
I am still waiting for a reply from them.
Continue reading “Exposing white Finnish privilege #40: To whitewash or to disenfranchise”
Migrant Tales recently published a story about how racism and discrimination occur at a large Helsinki company that hires practical nurses. One of the biggest challenges to tackle racism and discrimination is to acknowledge it. Denial of such social ills is the best cover that racism and discrimination have to maintain the toxic status quo.
Everyone knows that racism and discrimination are illegal in Finland. The big question is why we allow them to survive and see another day.
As long as such social ills have the upper hand in our society and control power, the more we’ll continue to undermine and throw dirt at our own Nordic values of social justice.
Racism isn’t only discrimination on the basis of ethnic and cultural background but a toxic structure that permits the majority group of society to maintain its power and privilege over Others. It is a costly system because it squanders human resources.
It is sad that even if we have the resources and knowledge to put racism and discrimination on the defensive we still do too little to confront it. The only explanation I have why these social ills see another day is because they are meant to exist. Why would white Finns want to give up their power and privilege to a minority?
If there is discrimination in the Finnish labor market, how can we measure it? What do the facts below about migrants in the Finnish labor market tell us? This box story is part of a larger feature on migrant employment called, How systemic racism and discrimination works in the Finnish workplace.
The most comprehensive study on migrants above,”Survey on work and well-being among people of foreign origin,” was published in 2015. Published by Statistics Finland, the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, and the National Institute for Health and Welfare, it reveals conclusively that migrant participation in the labor market is disproportional when it comes to nationality and gender.
Continue reading “BOX STORY: Key figures on migrants in the Finnish labor market”
At the end of last year, Rasoul Khorram, a naturalized Finn who has lived in this country for six years, tried without luck to open a bank account at the local Osuuspankki savings bank. Migrant Tales told Khorram to get in touch with the bank regional office and the non-discrimination ombudsman about the case.
After almost half a year, the situation is the same: No bank account for Khorram.
“This shows me that Finnish citizenship is only a piece of paper that doesn’t mean much [in these types of cases],” he said. “I don’t know what to do next. I’ll probably do nothing.”
One of the reasons why discrimination lives another day in Finland is because justice is slow and usually drags its feet when it comes to these types of cases.
