National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism

Summary

The National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism (Spanish: Instituto Nacional contra la Discriminación, la Xenofobia y el Racismo, mostly known for its acronym INADI) is a state agency of the Government of Argentina (answerable to the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights) which is charged with receiving complaints and pursuing charges against citizens accused of acts of discrimination or hatred. Created in 1995 by Federal Law 24515, INADI is considered one of Argentina's National human rights institutions. On 22 February 2024, the government of Javier Milei announced that it will close INADI permanently.[3]

National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia
and Racism (INADI)
Instituto Nacional contra la Discriminacón, Xenofobia y Racismo
Agency overview
Formed1995; 29 years ago (1995)
JurisdictionGovernment of Argentina
HeadquartersBuenos Aires
Employees355 (2024)[1]
Agency executive
  • Greta Pena[2], Interventor
Parent departmentMinistry of Justice
Websiteargentina.gob.ar/inadi

In February 2024, the Government of Argentina led by Javier Milei announced the INADI would be definitely closed, as part of the state restructuring carried out by the national administration.[4] The government also revealed that several irregular procedures were found at INADI. The agency would be taken over by the Ministry of Justice.[1]

Purpose edit

Discrimination in Argentina is hard to see on the surface because the marginalized population is practically none visible in society making up only .5-1.5% of the Argentina population. This is strategic. The government of Argentina has taken remarkable leaps in the direction of eradication of racial discrimination throughout the last decade. However, it is notable that this is not going at an acceptable pace. This slow moving pace is to be contributed to the change in Argentina leadership in 1999 as well as Argentina's long time institutionalized racism. It is said that 97% of the Argentina population is white, although this statistic is hard to decipher because of the underwhelming amount of available information on indigenous and immigrant communities, despite the deferment of the census because of lack of funds in 2000, when the national census data has been collected in Argentina in the past there was use of the category of national origin rather than race in Argentina, leading to incorrectly counting Afro-Argentines and citizens of indigenous descent.[5]

The miscounting of the census leads to the opinion of many individuals that 97% of the population is white is an over exaggeration, however, it certainly depicts the view of the country: white. This is a change. That is what is important, the change in the racial diversity of Argentina. This change is thought to be built by nineteenth century founders that made notable strides to make Argentina a white nation through several different policies aimed at eradicating ethnic minority populations, while concurrently supporting European immigration. The 1853 constitution is still predominantly referenced in politics today, and the predilection for European immigration is not hidden knowledge, it is not secret that Argentina favors white immigrants.[6][7] Racial discrimination persists against indigenous peoples, immigrants, Afro-Argentines, mestizo Argentines, Jews and Arabs.[5] The lack of census information provided by the government makes it very difficult to provide insight into indigenous peoples’ representation and participation in governmental and political affairs, and society at large.[8]

Indigenous peoples do carry constitutional recognition and formal protection of their rights to bilingual education, ownership of ancestral lands, and guaranteed participation in resource management. However, indigenous peoples do not get a say of their natural resources, they are taken over by government further re-enforcing negative power dynamics between citizen and government. Moreover, indigenous peoples are increasingly marginalized in society as their representation depletes, and the country increasingly does not count their human existence. Indigenous people, immigrants of color, must fight for conditions for basic survival, it is clear that they are not wanted in Argentina society and the government has no place for them. What is important to get from this is, this just did not happen. The eradication of indigenous people/people of color is institutionalized, and purposeful.[9] This can be elucidated by the countries significant contribution to xenophobia: dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries. Governmental officials have used the increasing crime rates in cities to defend the exiling, and spreading thin of indigenous people and immigrants, defending they are the main cause of the crime despite statistics provided by the government proving differently.

The National Institute against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism of Argentina is an agency whose main goal is to effectively combat all forms of discrimination, xenophobia, and racism within Argentina nationally and institute new protections, as well as consoling individual concerned citizens and working on education projects. Organizations such as national institute against discrimination, xenophobia, and racism is a stepping stone towards global equitability.[6] All aspects of discrimination should be considered, specifically gender. Women in Argentina have higher rates of illiteracy, less access to money, less access to representation in court, therefore, elucidating how women of none white descent are at higher risk of oppression in Argentina then men.[10][7]

Structure edit

INADI is led by a board of directors, chaired by a director. The chair and vice-chair are appointed to their positions for four-year terms by the Cabinet from a list of three candidates selected by the Congress; four of the directors are representatives of Ministries of the Interior, Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship, Justice and Human Rights and Education.

The other three directors are representatives of NGOs who have extensive experience in the struggle for human rights. The Advisory Council, which assists the board of directors, has ten members representing NGOs and reflects the diversity of the groups most affected by discrimination.

Recent activities edit

 
AI-generated image posted by president Javier Milei on Instagram to announce the closure of the INADI.

In partnership with civil society and other civil rights organizations in Argentina The national Institute against racism and xenophobia works towards resisting the oppressions of marginalized groups in Argentina including, but not limited to, indigenous peoples, immigrants, Afro-Argentines, mestizo Argentines, Jews and Arabs. The national institute of discrimination, racism, and xenophobia could receive grievances from individual peoples or more generally the organization puts most of their efforts forward through education campaigns including audio-visual materials, brochures, and pamphlets. This organization is a resource offering accessibility to justice for thousands of citizens, simply providing representation and services either individual or large scale educational, these efforts makes real steps towards indigenous people receiving their proper representation in society.

Since the resignation of former director Victoria Donda in December 2022, the INADI has been overseen by a federal interventor, presently Greta Pena.[2]

On February 22, 2024, presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni announced the government's intention to dissolve the organization.[3]

President Javier Milei celebrated the announcement on his social media. [11] In 2022, Milei had criticized the actions of the organization during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. [12] Javier Milei himself, along with ruling party legislator Ramiro Marra, had been reported to the organization for discriminatory expressions. [12] [13] [14] Although the presidential spokesperson explained that the closure would not be immediate due to bureaucratic reasons,[3] some deputies stated that the executive branch does not have the authority to eliminate an organization created by a law of the National Congress. [15]

The announcement prompted statements of rejection from the Delegation of Israeli Argentine Associations (DAIA), Amnesty International, and the Huésped Foundation, among other organizations and leaders. [16] [17]

Subsequently, Minister of Justice Mariano Cúneo Libarona clarified that the functions would be absorbed by the Ministry, a fact confirmed by INADI on the social media platform X. [18]

References edit

  1. ^ a b El Gobierno reveló el estado del INADI: 7.000 expedientes atrasados y millones gastados en sueldos y alquileres by Eduardo Menegazzi on Infobae, 22 Feb 2024
  2. ^ a b "Greta Marisa Pena es la nueva interventora del INADI en reemplazo de Victoria Donda". elDiario.ar (in Spanish). 10 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "El Gobierno decidió el cierre definitivo del Inadi". Infobae (in Spanish). 22 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  4. ^ El gobierno nacional anunció el cierre definitivo del Inadi on Rosario 3
  5. ^ a b Del-Teso-Craviotto, Marisol (September 2009). "Racism and xenophobia in immigrants' discourse: the case of Argentines in Spain". Discourse & Society. 20 (5): 571–592. doi:10.1177/0957926509106411. ISSN 0957-9265. S2CID 145118220.
  6. ^ a b NA, NA (2018). "Na: Doi Has Been Removed". NA. doi:10.6028/nist.ir.7651. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ^ a b Lee, Jenny J. (4 May 2017). "Neo-nationalism in higher education: case of South Africa". Studies in Higher Education. 42 (5): 869–886. doi:10.1080/03075079.2017.1293875. ISSN 0307-5079. S2CID 151364092.
  8. ^ Rodley, Nigel (21 June 2018), "25. International Human Rights Law", International Law, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/he/9780198791836.003.0025, hdl:10077/366, ISBN 9780198791836
  9. ^ VAN BOVEN, THEO (20 September 2001). "Discrimination and Human Rights Law: Combating Racism". Discrimination and Human Rights The Case of Racism. Oxford University Press. pp. 111–134. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199246038.003.0005. ISBN 9780199246038. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  10. ^ Villalpando, Waldo. Mendizábal, María Eugenia. (2005). Towards a national plan against discrimination : discrimination in Argentina, diagnosis and proposals. INADI. ISBN 987222031X. OCLC 938576330.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ "El festejo de Milei tras confirmar el cierre del INADI y su absorción por parte de Justicia" (in Spanish). Diagonales. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Cómo funciona y cuál es el rol del INADI, el instituto contra la discriminación que Javier Milei ordenó cerrar" (in Spanish). Infobae. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  13. ^ "Chamorro denunció a Milei en el INADI por sus dichos sobre el socialismo" (in Spanish). LM Diario. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  14. ^ "Quién es Ramiro Marra, el diputado de Javier Milei que pidió cerrar el INADI tras ser denunciado por discriminación" (in Spanish). Crónica. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Aseguran que el Inadi no pude cerrarse por decisión de Javier Milei: las repercusiones" (in Spanish). Rio Negro. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  16. ^ "La DAIA rechazó el cierre del INADI: "Atenta contra la igualdad y la convivencia pacífica"" (in Spanish). EL Diario AR. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  17. ^ "Instituciones y funcionarios rechazaron el cierre del INADI y apuntaron contra el Gobierno" (in Spanish). Ámbito Financiero. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  18. ^ "Cortocircuitos entre Javier Milei y Cúneo Libarona por el INADI" (in Spanish). Infocielo. Retrieved 23 February 2024.

External links edit

  • Official website