Promising Practice

Mapping of data sources on discrimination

In 2018, the Finnish Ministry of Justice mapped data sources relating to discrimination. It aimed at identifying the sources to be regularly surveyed by the discrimination monitoring group and to make recommendations for a sustainable monitoring mechanism.
Country
Finland
Type
Institutional and structural guidelines
Map existing sources
Category
Age
Disability
Gender identity or expression
Racial or ethnic origin
Religion or belief
Sex
Sexual orientation
All grounds / Cross-cutting
Includes multiple / intersectional discrimination

 


In this page:


Why was the practice needed?

The mapping of data sources relating to discrimination has been carried out in the context of the ongoing work of the national discrimination monitoring group (see related description in this compendium). It was facilitated by EU funding.

The mapping was necessary to build up a sustained and systematic monitoring mechanism that allows the prevalence and impact of discrimination to be measured. It would also allow trends to be identified, providing evidence for action in this field.

How was it implemented?

The Ministry of Justice outsourced the analysis of available data sources related to discrimination to an external expert. The methodology of the mapping was based on individual interviews, group interviews, workshops and data analysis. The process involved consultation with a range of key stakeholders, including the task force of the national discrimination monitoring group, the national statistical office, relevant ministries and administrative bodies, research institutes, academic experts and civil society organisations.

Outputs

  • An expert report that includes an evaluation of all major data sources (population surveys on health and welfare, ad hoc studies, administrative data etc.) available for each discrimination ground (especially nationally), in order to establish if there are data gaps in some discrimination grounds. The expert report discusses data sources covering the discrimination grounds of ethnic origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, and also looks into disaggregation by sex to allow for intersectionality analysis. The report includes recommendations for:
    • further development of these data sources (for example including questions on experiences of discrimination);
    • for the monitoring group on following up on certain data sources (for example monitoring the changes in prevalence of hate crime);
    • further enhancing the horizontal cooperation within the monitoring group.

Key success factors

  • The mapping exercise was built on previous mapping results, i.e. it was a follow-up mapping. This provided significant benefit in terms of resources. It allow the Ministry to focus on matters of special interest (for instance, possibilities to influence national data collection structures). Thus, it is important to establish the baseline of knowledge on equality data sources in order to have a starting point for development.
  • The national networks played a significant role in the mapping exercise and provided valuable input.

Technical information

  • Data sources covered: Administrative data; Household or individual surveys; Victimisation surveys; Attitudinal surveys; Complaints data; Discrimination testing; Qualitative research.
  • Areas of life covered: Employment; Education; Health; Social Protection; Housing and living conditions; Access to good and services; Hate crime.
  • Target audience: Public administrations, equality bodies, civil society organisations, media, and academia
  • Duration: 2018. Previous mapping done in 2007
  • Geographical scope: National
  • Leading institution: Ministry of Justice, Finland
  • Other organisations involved/consulted: The task force of the national discrimination monitoring system includes: Non-discrimination Ombudsman, National Human Rights Institute, Finnish League for Human Rights, Finnish Disability Forum, Advisory Board for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, National Institute for Welfare and Health, Migration Institute of Finland, University of Helsinki, SámiSoster (NGO), Finnish Youth Research Society.
  • Financial & human resources: Budget: €25,000 -30,000; Source of the budget: EU and national budget; Staff: 0.1 Full Time Equivalent (FTE)

Contacts

Ministry of Justice / Oikeusministeriö

Email: Yhdenvertaisuus (dot) om (at) om (dot) fi