Authors: Mario Peucker, Claudia Lechner, published by the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency (FADA) Year of publication: 2010

Brief overview

With this expert opinion, the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency (FADA) investigated whether and how evidence of discrimination could be found using a uniform, standardised form of data collection. The investigation focuses on quantitative sources of data. The object of the analysis comprised existing approaches and future possibilities for counselling centres to document discrimination cases and complaints of discrimination.

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Main results

Measuring discrimination with the aid of quantitative data – possibilities and limits

• Population and administrative statistics allow a first overview of the inequality that exists between disadvantaged persons and the overall population. However, these data do not permit reliable statements regarding the influence of discrimination.
• Surveys of the majority population regarding their attitudes towards minority groups are very important sources of additional information. They indicate a social climate in which discrimination is embedded.
• Surveys of disadvantaged groups provide insights into the subjective dimension of discrimination and are of central importance for certain questions – such as those relating to coping strategies and psychological impact.
• Testing studies lead to convincing, valid findings as to whether discrimination is present or not.
• Statistics on discrimination complaints build on the subjective experience of victims but most often extend beyond it.
• Statistics taken from court rulings can be used as evidence of discrimination. However, a survey among the Labour Courts of the Laender revealed that the court proceedings that would be of relevance to discrimination are not explicitly recorded as such.

Overview: The contact point and counselling centre landscape

The authors observed that Germany is, at present, far removed from being able to boast of a tight-meshed network of anti-discrimination counselling centres or of a uniform recording of cases of discrimination.

• The majority of the counselling centres lack the necessary sensitivity for discrimination topics and the skills needed to provide professional, anti-discrimination counselling.
• The existing support opportunities are neither available nor accessible to the affected groups in equal measure.
• Most of the contact points and counselling centres hardly ever or never document their counselling work.

Nevertheless, not only professional and qualified anti-discrimination counselling, but also trends towards more intensive networking and standardised documentation of complaints can be observed among the rising number of counselling centres.

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Options for action

The main recommendation made by the feasibility study

refers to the expansion of a nationwide infrastructure of contact points and counselling centres as well as to the professionalisation of the documentation process.

In detail, the authors recommend the following:

• the creation and expansion of a nationwide counselling infrastructure to provide counselling and support for persons who are affected by discrimination, consisting of local contact points, regional competence centres and a central co-ordinating agency;
• increasing the uptake of counselling opportunities by means of a nationwide information campaign on anti-discrimination rights;
• conducting training and the creation of training material to ensure competent anti-discrimination counselling;
• developing a standardised system for the documentation of cases of discrimination and the central collection and evaluation of complaint data while taking data protection requirements into account;
• introduction of a nationwide, standardised, systematic registration of court proceedings that are of relevance to discrimination or to the General Equal Treatment Act by the relevant courts;
• intensifying discrimination research – which is still not very developed in Germany – by means of innovative analyses and studies such as testing procedures.

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