Committee:
Issue:
Student Officer:
General Committee 5
Preserving the cultural identity of minorities, with a special focus
on China, Russia and Spain.
Sinem Naz Atalay
Description of the Issue
Almost all States have one or more minority groups within their national territories,
characterized by their own ethnic, linguistic or religious identity which differs from that of the
majority population. Harmonious relations among minorities and between minorities and
majorities and respect for each group's identity is a great asset to the multi-ethnic and
multicultural diversity of our global society. Meeting the aspirations of national, ethnic, religious
and linguistic groups and ensuring the rights of persons belonging to minorities acknowledges
the dignity and equality of all individuals, furthers participatory development, and thus
contributes to the lessening of tensions among groups and individuals. These factors are a major
determinant etc. of stability and peace. The following can be identified as major concerns:
survival and existence, promotion and protection of the identity of minorities, equality and nondiscrimination.
Ethnic minorities in China are the non-Han Chinese population in the People's Republic
of China. Ethnic issues in China are complex and arise from the influences of Chinese history,
Chinese nationalism, and many other factors. There are 55 officially recognized native ethnic
minorities in China. Article 4 of the Chinese constitution states 'All nationalities in the People's
Republic of China are equal', and the government argues that it has made efforts to improve
ethnic education and increased ethnic representation in local government. Some groups are still
fighting for recognition as minorities. In the 1964 Census, there were 183 nationalities registered,
of which the government recognized 54.
Some policies cause reverse racism, in which Han Chinese or even ethnic minorities from
other regions are treated as second-class citizens in the ethnic region. Similarly, there are wideranging preferential policies (affirmative action programs) in place to promote social and
economic development for ethnic minorities, including preferential employment, political
appointments, and business loans. Universities typically have quotas reserved for ethnic
minorities, even if they have lower admission test scores. Ethnic minorities are also more often
exempt from the one-child policy, which targets the Han Chinese.
Stern punishments of independence-seeking demonstrators, rioters, or terrorists have led
to mistreatment of the Tibetan and Uyghur minorities in Western China. The United States in
2007 refused to help repatriate five Chinese Uyghur Guantanamo Bay detainees because of 'past
treatment of the Uighur minority'. On the other hand, China has many border regions with large
minority populations. For example, Guangxi has 16 million Zhuang people, and other
concentrated Muslim populations such as the Hui people. among them. The fellow Muslim
Kazakhs, who live with the Uyghurs in the Xinjiang area under similar laws and conditions, have
not organized rebellions against the state or aligned themselves with Kazakhstan. In its 2007
annual report to the U.S. Congress, the Congressional-Executive Commission on China said the
Chinese government "provides incentives for migration to the region from elsewhere in China.
Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, said on April 2014 that
China faces increasing threats to national security and the government could impose tougher
controls on its ethnic minorities due to terrorist attacks like the 2014 Kunming attack.
"Undistinguished" ethnic groups are ethnic groups that have not been officially
recognized or classified by the central government. The group numbers more than 730,000
people, and would constitute the twentieth most populous ethnic group of China if taken as a
single group. The vast majority of this group is found in Guizhou Province.
Russia is a multinational state with over 185 ethnic groups designated as nationalities,
population of these groups varying enormously, from millions in the case of e.g. Russians and
Tatars to under 10,000 in the case of Samis and Kets. The law prohibits discrimination based on
nationality, but government officials increasingly subjected minorities to discrimination. There
was a significant rise in xenophobic societal violence and discrimination against minorities in
2014, particularly persons from the Caucasus and Central Asia, dark-skinned persons, Roma, and
certain foreigners. According to SOVA, as of December racial violence resulted in the death of
at least 20 persons, while 173 others were injured and nine received death threats. Incidents were
reported in 32 regions. Violence was concentrated in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The number of
reported hate crimes against minority religious groups increased during the year, and skinhead
groups and other extreme nationalist organizations fomented racially motivated violence. Racist
propaganda remained a problem, although courts continued to convict individuals of using
propaganda to incite ethnic hatred.
The ZINC Center for the Study of Ethnic Conflicts, an independent think tank, released a
report detailing ethnic tension from September 2013 to March 2014. The report noted that the
regions with the highest level of ethnic tension were Dagestan, Moscow, St. Petersburg,
Stavropol Krai, and Tatarstan. During the period covered by the report, the center noted 570
ethnically motivated hateful acts of varying intensity (from placing xenophobic content on the
internet to violent clashes with weapons resulting in fatalities) throughout the country.
Skinhead violence continued to be a serious problem. Skinheads primarily targeted foreigners,
particularly Asians and individuals from the Caucasus, as well as individuals they identified as
being from Ukraine. Skinheads also expressed anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic sentiments.
Membership claims by these organizations were difficult to verify. The country’s neo-Nazi
subculture again marked the birthday of Adolf Hitler (April 20) with attacks against members of
ethnic minorities. Human rights organizations expressed concern that Romani children in schools
experienced discrimination. Some schools refused to register Romani students on the grounds
that they lacked documents, while others segregated Romani students because of their ethnicity
or placed them in classes designed for children with learning disabilities. Discrimination of
Minorities in Russia is a high concern as it has led to many losses and attacks all through the
years.
The Spanish Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health, Social Services, and
Equality had a map of “hate crimes” in the country. On April 24, Secretary of State for Security
Francisco Martinez announced in the senate that during 2013 there were 1,172 “hate crimes.”
According to Martinez, between 60 and 80 percent of victims did not report hate crimes because
they believed the crime would not be addressed. Martinez told senators that security forces
received specific training to record discrimination even if the victim does not agree with it.
Crimes motivated by bias were connected to racial or ethnic origin bias (381 cases), religious
bias (42), and poverty bias (four). In June the public prosecutor of the province of Barcelona for
hate crimes presented a complaint against the presidents of the political parties National Alliance
and the Falange Spain for incitement of violence. During a demonstration in Barcelona in
October, these political parties called for the use of violence against Catalan pro independence
groups similar to what Basque terrorist group ETA employed during its armed struggle. In 201314 the State Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance in Sports (in
the Ministry of Home Affairs) recorded a total of eight racist incidents in soccer games and
assessed fines that amounted to between 3,001 and 4,000 euros against 23 persons. After each
game the police security coordinator sent the commission a report on any violent, racist,
xenophobic, or intolerant behavior. Esteban Ibarra, a member of the Observatory against Racism
and of Movement against Intolerance, minimized the commission’s efforts, stating, “The attitude
of the commission is indolent and fails to sanction violators. It tries to cover up as much as
possible.” In April the Office of the Ombudsman reported that the racially motivated police
checks continued in many cities According to the domestic NGO Fundacion Secretariado Gitano,
Roma continued to face discrimination in access to employment, housing, and education. The
Romani community, which the NGO estimated to number 750,000, experienced substantially
higher rates of unemployment, poverty, and illiteracy than the general population. The NGO’s
2013 report reported 168 cases of discrimination against Roma.
Definition of Key Terms
Romani or Roma
A traditionally itinerant ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas, who originate
from the northwestern regions of the Indian subcontinent. The Romani are widely known among
English-speaking people by the exonym "Gypsies".
(Romani Flag)
Skinhead:
A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in London,
England, in the 1960s and then soon spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, and later to
other countries around the world.
SOVA:
SOVA Center conducts research and informational work on nationalism and racism, relations
between the churches and secular society, and political radicalism. We are also interested in
human rights issues, especially government misuse of counter-extremism measures.
United Nations Minorities Declaration:
Twenty years ago, UN Member States adopted unanimously the Declaration on the Rights of
Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, an
acknowledgment that a gap existed in minority rights protection.
United Nations Human Rights Council:
The UNHRC (United Nations Human Rights Council) is the successor to the UN Commission on
Human Rights (UNCHR, herein CHR), and is a subsidiary body of the UN General Assembly.
The council works closely with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
(OHCHR) and engages the United Nations' special procedures.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a declaration adopted by the United
Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948 at the Palais de Chaillot, Paris.
Minority Rights Group International:
Minority Rights Group International (MRG) is an international human rights organization
founded with the objective of working to secure rights for ethnic, national, religious and
linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples around the world.
European Convention on Human Rights:
The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) (formally the Convention for the
Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms) is an international treaty to protect
human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe.
Autonomous:
(of a country or region) having the freedom to govern itself or control its own affairs.
Suggested Solutions
Even though the situation in China for minority rights has showed a more progressive
development compared to Russia and Spain there are still issues to resolve. For example the
recognition of the "Undistinguished" ethnic groups. As mentioned before these ethnic groups are
also high in numbers but are not recognized by the Chinese Government. Recognizing these
groups add to the general culture of China and will help develop understanding and the
development of Human Rights. Also the reverse racism towards the Han Chinese population is
an issue that should be resolved by enforcing the already set laws towards equality for all
nationalities in the People's Republic of China.
Encouraging Russia to educate skinhead groups and other extreme nationalist
organizations on respecting different cultures will affect both future generations to come and
minority issues that are being experienced. Also preventing the specific groups that are causing
casualties and attacking civilians from gathering will help calm the situation. Another solution
might be to have tighter security in the frequently attacked areas in Russia, such as but not
limited to, Dagestan, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Stavropol Krai, and Tatarstan. As well as
increasing security on anniversaries and important dates to the extremist groups.
Many of the attacks in Spain happen at soccer matches and by increasing the security and
law enforcement during matches the government can have a better control over the racism and
discrimination of minorities. One other solution could be ensuring the feeling of safety in general
for victims of discrimination so that victims feel comfortable and report the assaults. As well as
taking immediate action after the reports of discrimination against ethnicity to again create a
safe feeling so that the victims speak up. Also by creating awareness toward ethnic
discrimination nationwide will increase reports and decrease attacks. Creating awareness and
education towards respect for all culture from the start of childhood will decrease future attacks
specifically designating the decrease of the attacks against Romani people.
All three countries can contact the various organizations committed to create worldwide
recognition for minority rights.
Work Cited and Further Reading
Fact Sheet No.18 (Rev.1), Minority Rights (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 25 Nov. 2015.
"Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2014." U.S. Department of State. U.S.
Department of State, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.
"Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2014." U.S. Department of State. U.S.
Department of State, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.
"United Nations Guide for Minorities." United Nations Guide for Minorities. N.p., n.d. Web. 25
Nov. 2015.
"United Nations Human Rights Council." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 25 Nov.
2015.
"Minority Rights Group International." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 25 Nov.
2015.
"Universal Declaration of Human Rights." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 25 Nov.
2015.
"European Convention on Human Rights." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 25
Nov. 2015.
"Autonomous." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.
"Ethnic Issues in China." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.
"Human Rights in China." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.
"Ethnic Groups in Russia." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.
"Ethnic Minorities in China." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.
"Skinhead." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.
"Romani People." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.