Third report on Iceland- executive summary

Nánari útskýringar eru í greininni hér fyrir neðan. 
Since the publication of ECRI’s second report on Iceland on 8 July 2003, progress has been made in a number of the fields highlighted in that report. In an effort to improve co-ordination and initiative in policy-making concerning immigrants and integration, an Immigration Council has been established to formulate recommendations on policies in these areas, monitor their implementation and ensure provision of services to immigrants. The State has assumed increasing responsibility and ownership in the field of meeting asylum seekers’ reception needs. Programmes aimed at promoting mutual integration of “quota” refugees and local communities have continued to be successfully implemented. Some measures have also been initiated to address the situation of disadvantage experienced by young people of immigrant background, notably in the field of education.

However, a number of recommendations made in ECRI’s second report have not been implemented, or have only been partially implemented. The legal framework to combat racism and racial discrimination still remains to be strengthened and better implemented. Immigrants still often find themselves in a situation of excessive dependence on their employers, which, coupled with limited knowledge of the Icelandic language and awareness of their rights, exposes them to a higher risk of exploitation and discrimination. The position of immigrant women who are victims of domestic violence continues to be a cause for concern to ECRI. Improvements still remain to be made to the asylum procedure and to certain provisions regulating the residence rights of non-citizens.   

In this report, ECRI recommends that the Icelandic authorities take further action in a number of areas. These areas include: the need to strengthen the legal framework against racism and racial discrimination, including through ratification of Protocol No.12 to the European Convention of Human Rights and the adoption of comprehensive primary antidiscrimination provisions; the need to better implement the legal framework in force; the need to reduce exposure of immigrants to exploitation and discrimination by reviewing the system for granting work permits and by providing them with adequate opportunities to learn the Icelandic language and access interpretation services; the need to ensure, including by introducing the necessary changes to the legislation, that foreign women who are victims of domestic violence are not forced to stay in violent relationships to avoid deportation; the need to improve asylum seekers’ access to free legal aid and to an impartial and independent appeals mechanism.  In this report, ECRI also recommends that the Icelandic authorities build on efforts made since ECRI’s second report to develop co-ordinated policies concerning immigrants and integration and that they ensure that the fight against discrimination in all its forms feature prominently within these policies.