Report: Racial Discrimination in Estonia

While interactions among the Estonian popu­lation with individuals from different national and cultural backgrounds, as well as different skin colours, are still uncommon and aware­ness is limited, Estonia is becoming more open. Increasingly, people from other coun­tries and cultures choose Estonia as their permanent or temporary place of residence, settling here to study and work. Currently, there is no overview in Estonia regarding the number of people with different skin colours within the Estonian population. Additionally, there is no information about which popula­tion groups they belong to or where they live, study, and work. There is also no information on how people of different skin colours feel in Estonia and their experiences with the author­ities, at work, and in society at large. There is no information, as the corresponding admin­istrative data is not collected, and there is also no sectoral research and analysis. 

The survey, carried out by Civitta Estonia on behalf of the Gender Equality and Equal Treatment Commissioner, is the first step to­wards filling the information gap. The aim of the study was to provide an overview of the situation of dark-skinned people in Estonia, including their experiences of discrimination, harassment, and violence based on skin col­our, their meaning and impact.