An online survey has been developed to increase awareness into racism issues in
Victoria.
The survey entitled Reporting Racism: what you say
matters was introduced by the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights
Commission to encourage all Victorians to use the survey as a tool to publicise
their contact with racism.
“Whether it is a racist comment you overhear
on the bus, racist graffiti you see walking down the street or a racist post on Facebook, we want to better
understand people’s day-to-day experiences of racism and vilification so we can
identify actions and solutions we can all take to help address the issue,” said
Karen Toohey, Acting Victorian
Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner.
The survey has been
developed by the Commission as a result of research, complaints data and
stakeholder feedback, which has revealed that Victorians regularly encounter
racist behaviour.
“Research indicates that doing nothing about
discrimination, graffiti, or vilification on basis of race can lead people to
think these behaviours are ok and to repeating these behaviours,” said Ms Toohey.
“We want to hear
people’s stories so we can help individuals and communities respond to offensive
behaviour and help create awareness of the protection people have from these
types of behaviours under the Equal Opportunity Act and the Racial and
Religious Tolerance Act.”
The survey will also promote the
development of strategies that can be used by Victorians to combat racism in
their local community.
The results of the survey will be released in late
2012, and are expected to support the Commission’s policy on racism responses,
as well as its contribution to the National Anti-Racism Strategy.
