Founded in 1983 - United for Diversity and Racial Equality

CRARR ASSISTS NUMEROUS VICTIMS OF RACIAL AND HOMOPHOBIC DISCRIMINATION IN UNIVERSITIES


Montreal, April 22, 2010 --- Since January 2010, CRARR has lent assistance to numerous Québec, French and Arabic persons who have been discriminated and psychologically harassed in university education and employment.

Three universities in three different Quebec cities are implicated. A federal department is also involved due to its funding contractual arrangement and share of personnel with a university with a poisoned work environment.

These 7 cases show that beyond declarations and despite having a multicultural student population as well as ties with France and the Arab world to attract foreign students or to engage in bilateral academic or scientific exchanges, these institutions have no concrete measures in civil rights and diversity for its teaching and administrative staff.

In one particular, the university has for years allowed a manager to engage in harassment of his employees to the point where some have had to seek psychiatric help, while the labor union and the administration have acted at snail's pace to address employee complaints.

Under federal and provincial employment equity laws and programs, universities are bound to set up measures to ensure equality in employment for visible minorities, women, people with disabilities and Aboriginal peoples. Quebec also requires equity measures for non-visible ethnic minorities.

As of mid-April, CRARR will bring these cases to public attention, as these acts of harassment and discrimination ruin careers and damage lives.

See:

http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/feeling+having+been+conned/2935870/s...