Fondé en 1983 --Unis pour la diversité et l'égalité raciale

CORONAVIRUS: CRARR CONTINUES TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO VICTIMS OF DISCRIMINATION



Montreal, March 30, 2020 — During this time of unprecedented restrictions of activity due to the coronavirus pandemic, CRARR will endeavor to continue providing support to individuals who believe they have been discriminated, harassed, or profiled due to their personal characteristics such as race, gender, disability, and other factors.

Certain communities we serve are already among the most impacted by the pandemic.

Due to business shutdown and social distancing measures, our office is closed and phone calls cannot be returned. Individuals needing assistance can contact CRARR through www.crarr.org, by writing to crarr@primus.ca, or through our Facebook page.

Despite increasingly limited resources due to the unfolding crisis, since we mainly rely on service fees and donations, our team is committed to continue assisting the 180+ individuals whom CRARR has been supporting before the state of emergency, and to answer new requests for assistance. Please note that it may take longer for us to respond as we are working to adapt to the rapidly evolving changes.

CRARR is concerned that pandemics and civil emergencies can lead to social division, misinformation, scapegoating, hate openly directed at identifiable groups and suppression of fundamental rights and freedoms.

For this reason, we will also continue to engage in public education to inform vulnerable segments of the population of their civil rights and recourses, especially communities that may be affected by racism, discrimination and hate related to the coronavirus, and become the targets of racial profiling by law enforcement authorities and other institutions.

Since there is no adequate government action against scapegoating, stigmatization, and discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, disability, and other factors during this emergency, we call on civil society groups to work together in the interest of public health and security, social cohesion, and the effective protection of our most vulnerable communities.

CRARR also urges all levels of government to urgently devote more attention and deploy exceptional resources to address these emerging social problems.

Our personal and collective commitment to freedom, equality, security and fairness must remain strong.

We welcome your donations. Tax receipts can be made available.