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Decision on
Admissibility
1.1 The petitioner is the Documentation and Advisory Centre on Racial
Discrimination, represented by Ms. Fakhra Mohammad, born on 6 May 1960, who
is the head of the board of trustees of the Centre. The petitioner alleges
violations by Denmark of articles 2, paragraph 1(d), 4, 5 and 6 of the
Convention.
1.2 In conformity with article 14, paragraph 6 (a), of the Convention, the
Committee transmitted the communication to the State party on 14 April 2003.
The Facts as Submitted by the Petitioner:
2.1 On 27 January 2002, a private company, "Torben Jensen A/S", published a
job advertisement in the Danish newspaper "Jyllands Posten". The
advertisement read as follows:
"The construction company BAC SIA seeks Danish foreman
who, in cooperation with a Latvian construction expert, will be assigned the
general responsibility of renovating and constructing a larger agricultural
building approximately 80 kilometers from Riga."
2.2 By letter of 30 January 2002, the petitioner reported the incident to
the Chief Constable of the police in Vejle, the district where "Torben
Jensen A/S" was located. In the letter, the petitioner alleged a violation
by the company of Section 5 [FN1] of Act No. 459 of 12 June 1996 on
prohibition against discrimination in respect of employment and occupation
etc. on the labour market, arguing that the words "Danish foreman" in the
advertisement amounted to discrimination on the ground of national or ethnic
origin.
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[FN1] Section 5 of Act No. 459 of 5 July 1996 reads: "Advertisements may not
indicate that a person of a particular race, colour, religion, political
opinion, sexual orientation or national, social or ethnic origin is sought
or preferred. Nor must it be indicated that a person with the
characteristics mentioned in the first clause of this Section is not
wanted."
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2.3 On 5 February 2002, the police interviewed Mr. E.H., accountant of "Torben
Jensen A/C". On the basis of this interview, the Chief Constable, by letter
of 13 March 2002, informed the petitioner that he had decided to dismiss the
complaint:
"In my decision, I have notably given weight to the fact that, based on the
police's questioning of Torben Jensen, and, moreover, from reading the
advertisement, it is, in my view, quite clear that there is no violation of
the said Act. What is sought for the position in Latvia is a Danish
resident, and this person could easily be of an ethnicity other than Danish.
In the worst case, it is a matter of an unfortunate choice of words, but not
of a content which constitutes grounds for further action in this case."
2.4 On 22 March 2002, the petitioner appealed the Chief Constable's decision
to the Regional Public Prosecutor of Sønderborg. According to the
petitioner, it was irrelevant whether the company had actually intended to
recruit a Danish resident, as the decisive question under Section 5 of Act
No. 459 was whether the wording of the job advertisement could be perceived
as indicating a preference for a foreman of Danish origin. Since Section 5
also criminalizes negligence, this provision would also be violated, if the
unintended effect of the advertisement had been to exclude a group defined
by one of the criteria enumerated in Section 1, paragraph 1, [FN2] of the
same Act from applying for the job. However, the Chief Constable did not
appear to have investigated this possibility. Moreover, the petitioner
contested that the term "Danish foreman" was supposed to refer to a Danish
resident, as such residence could not be regarded a logical requirement for
the construction job in Latvia and because it followed from the publication
of the advertisement in a Danish newspaper that the group of recipients
would essentially be limited to Danish residents in any event.
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[FN2] Section 1, paragraph 1, of Act No. 459 reads: "For the purpose of this
Act, the term 'discrimination' means any direct or indirect discrimination
on the basis of race, colour, religion, political opinion, sexual
orientation or national, social or ethnic origin."
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2.5 By letter of 3 June 2002, the Regional Public Prosecutor of Sønderborg
informed the petitioner that he had dismissed the appeal, based on the same
reasons as those mentioned in the decision of the Chief Constable.
2.6 On 3 December 2002, "the Documentation and Advisory Centre on Racial
Discrimination [represented] by Fakhra Mohammad, head of the board of
trustees", submitted the present communication.
The Complaint:
3.1 The petitioner claims that, as the head of the board of trustees, Ms.
Fakhra Mohammad "represents the [Documentation and Advisory Centre] when
complaints are filed in her name". Although neither Ms. Fakhra Mohammad nor
any other person of non-Danish origin applied for the advertised job, she
should be considered a victim of the discriminatory advertisement, since it
would have been futile for her to apply for the post. Moreover, the
petitioner itself should be recognized as having status of victim under
article 14 of the Convention, since it represents "a large group of persons
of non-Danish origin discriminated against by the job advertisement in
question". In support of this claim, the petitioner states that both the
police and the Regional Public Prosecutor have accepted it as a party to
domestic proceedings.
3.2 The petitioner claims to have exhausted domestic remedies, as there is
no possibility to appeal the decision of the Regional Public Prosecutor of 3
June 2002, and since the case cannot be brought before the Danish courts.
Direct legal actions against Torben Jensen A/S would be ineffective, given
that the police and the Regional Public Prosecutor both rejected the
complaint. Moreover, the Eastern High Court, in a decision of 5 February
1999, held that an incident of racial discrimination does not in itself
constitute a violation of the honour and reputation of a person, within the
meaning of Section 26 of the Act on Civil Liability.
3.3 The petitioner claims that the State party has violated its obligations
under articles 4 and 6 of the Convention, as it failed to investigate
whether the job advertisement constituted an act of racial discrimination,
punishable under Section 5 of Act No. 459, and instead admitted the
company's explanation that what was meant by "Danish foreman" was a person
residing in Denmark. In particular, the State party should have investigated
the following questions: (1) whether the person eventually employed was of
Danish national/ethnic origin or not; (2) whether the intended meaning of
the advertisement should be taken into account; (3) whether the explanation
provided by Torben Jensen A/C was logical; (4) whether the publishing of the
advertisement constituted indirect discrimination; and (5) whether the
publishing of the advertisement was punishable as negligence.
3.4 The petitioner argues that the company's alleged intention to recruit a
Danish resident was irrelevant, since the objective meaning of the term
"Danish" in the advertisement clearly related to the national/ethnic origin
of the person sought. The de facto effect of the advertisement thus was to
deprive applicants of non-Danish origin of equal opportunities. Whether this
effect was intended or not played no role, since Section 5 of Act No. 459
also criminalized negligence. Moreover, it followed from Section 1,
paragraph 1, of the Act that Section 5 also covered indirect discrimination,
a modality which the Danish authorities had equally failed to investigate.
3.5 In addition, the petitioner contests that the term "Danish foreman" was
used as a synonym for "Danish resident" by the company, and reiterates the
arguments already stated before the Regional Public Prosecutor (see para.
2.4 above).
The State Party's Submission on the Admissibility and Merits of the
Communication:
4.1 By note verbale of 7 July 2003, the State party made its submissions on
the admissibility and, subsidiarily, on the merits of the communication.
4.2 On admissibility, the State party denies that the petitioner has legal
standing to submit a communication, under article 14, paragraph 1, of the
Convention, as it is a legal entity and not an individual or group of
individuals. As such, the petitioner is not in a position to claim that it
is the victim of a violation of any of the rights set forth in the
Convention. Furthermore, the petitioner failed to present its power of
attorney from one or more individuals, claiming to be victims of such a
violation, which would authorize it to submit a communication on their
behalf. The State party concludes that the communication is inadmissible
ratione personae under article 14, paragraph 1, of the Convention.
4.3 While conceding that the decision of the Regional Public Prosecutor,
acting on appeal cannot be appealed to a higher authority, and that private
parties cannot bring charges under Section 5 of Act No. 459 before the
courts, the State party denies that the petitioner has exhausted available
domestic remedies, since such remedies have to be exhausted by the
petitioners themselves and not by other organizations or individuals. The
fact that the petitioner participated in domestic proceedings by lodging a
complaint with the Danish authorities was irrelevant, given that the
petitioner, being a legal person, had no victim status under the Convention.
The State party concludes that the communication is also inadmissible under
article 14, paragraph 7 (a), of the Convention.
4.4 The State party further argues that the determination made by the Chief
Constable and the Regional Public Prosecutor that the requirements of
Section 5 of Act No. 459 were not met in the present case was primarily a
matter of interpretation and application of domestic legislation, which the
Committee has no competence to review. The communication is therefore also
incompatible ratione materiae with the Convention.
4.5 Subsidiarily and on the merits, the State party submits that the
petitioner has failed to substantiate that the Danish legislation as such
was not in conformity with its obligations under article 4 of the
Convention. On the contrary, the communication was based on the assumption
that the Danish authorities did not apply Act No. 459 correctly.
4.6 The State party argues that, while requiring that an investigation must
be carried out with due diligence and expedition and must be sufficient to
determine whether or not an incident of racial discrimination has occurred,
article 6 of the Convention does not guarantee the initiation, let alone a
specific outcome, of such an investigation in all cases reported to the
police. If no basis can be found to initiate an investigation, it is not
contrary to the Convention to dismiss a complaint. In the present case, the
decisions of the Danish authorities were based on sufficient information,
namely the interview of the company's accountant by the Police Constable.
This was also reflected by the fact that the petitioner did not consider
further information necessary to determine that the advertisement was in
violation of Section 5 of Act No. 459. However, the above question again
related to the interpretation and practical application of the Danish
legislation, thus falling outside the Committee's competence.
4.7 With regard to the specific questions raised by the petitioner (see para.
3.3 above), the State party argues: (1) that the employment of a person of
Danish origin or ethnicity in Denmark cannot in itself be considered to
substantiate an allegation of discrimination; (2) that the intention of
Torben Jensen A/C was relevant to the interpretation of the wording of the
advertisement, while its legal assessment falls outside the traditional
field of police investigation; (3) that the question of whether the
explanation provided by the company was convincing also is not a matter of
traditional police investigation, but rather a matter of assessing
critically the information already provided by the police, as well as by the
petitioner; that the questions whether the advertisement constituted (4)
indirect discrimination or (5) negligence, punishable under Section 5 of the
Act, was not for the police to investigate, since it related to the
application and interpretation of Danish legislation, and can therefore not
be reviewed by the Committee.
4.8 Without prejudice to the above arguments, the State party submits that
the Chief Constable and the Regional Public Prosecutor of Sønderborg made a
correct assessment when they considered that the adjective "Danish" in the
advertisement referred to Danish residents, since the nature of the
relationship to Denmark required by that wording was not precisely
determined. The advertisement was therefore not covered by Section 5 of the
Act, given that a Danish resident may be of any ethnicity or national
origin.
4.9 The State party concludes that article 6 has not been violated, as the
petitioner had access to effective remedies, resulting in decisions of the
Danish authorities, which were taken on an adequate and informed basis in
accordance with the requirements of the Convention.
Comments by the Petitioner
5.1 By submission of 18 July 2003, the petitioner commented on the State
party's observations and extended the claim contained in the communication
of 3 December 2002 to the effect that the State party's alleged failure to
carry out an effective investigation also amounted to a violation of
articles, 5 and 2, paragraph 1 (d), in addition to the initial claim of a
violation of articles 4 and 6, of the Convention.
5.2 While conceding that the communication was submitted "by Fakhra Mohammad
acting as the head of the board of trustees" of the Documentation and
Advisory Centre and therefore "by a legal person", the petitioner contests
the State party's conclusion that legal entities cannot file communications,
nor claim victim status, under article 14 of the Convention. The petitioner
argues that it follows from the travaux préparatoires to the Convention that
the words "individuals or groups of individuals" in article 14, paragraph 1,
should be interpreted broadly so as to be able to include non-governmental
organizations among those entitled to bring a complaint before the
Committee.
5.3 As to its the status of victim, the petitioner submits that such status
cannot, under Section 5 of Act No. 459, be restricted to one or more
individuals, since that provision generally criminalizes discrimination of
non-Danish applicants in job advertisements, thereby protecting everyone of
non-Danish origin against such discrimination. Given the petitioner's
specific mandate to assist victims of racial discrimination, the ethnic
composition of its board of trustees2, as well as its record in representing
alleged victims of racial discrimination before the Committee, it should be
considered as a victim or as representing an unspecified number of
unidentified victims of a violation of Section 5 of the Act and,
accordingly, of articles 2, 4, 5 and 6 of the Convention. The petitioner
concludes that the communication is admissible ratione personae under
article 14 of the Convention, reiterating that the Chief Constable and the
Regional Public Prosecutor recognized it as a party to domestic proceedings
(either as a victim or as having a particular interest in the outcome of the
case), which was reflected by the fact that its appeal to the Regional
Public Prosecutor had not been dismissed on procedural grounds.
5.4 The petitioner submits that it has exhausted all available domestic
remedies, in its capacity as petitioner or, respectively, as representative
of "a large group of non-identifiable petitioners". The petitioner also
argues that the communication is admissible ratione materiae, as it does not
relate to the legal assessment of the alleged incident, but to the absence
of an effective investigation by the Danish authorities, which would have
provided an adequate factual basis for such an assessment.
5.5 With regard to the alleged violations of articles 2, 4, 5 and 6 of the
Convention, the petitioner similarly bases the claim on the lack of an
effective investigation into the matter, rather than on the legal assessment
by the Danish authorities. However, it is argued that the Chief Constable
would not have reached the conclusion that a Danish resident was sought for
the advertised post in Latvia, irrespective of the national or ethnic origin
of that person, if he had initiated a formal investigation, rather than
merely relying on an informal interview of the accountant of "Torben Jensen
A/C", on the report filed by the petitioner and on the wording of the job
advertisement. Such an investigation should have clarified who had
eventually been recruited for the advertised post, since such clarification
would at least have indicated whether an act of discrimination had occurred,
and would have provided an adequate basis to determine whether the
advertisement constituted indirect discrimination.
Issues and Proceedings Before the Committee
6.1 Before considering the substance of a communication, the Committee on
the Elimination of Racial Discrimination must, in accordance with rule 91 of
its rules of procedure, examine whether or not the communication is
admissible.
6.2 The Committee notes that the communication has been submitted by "the
Documentation and Advisory Centre on Racial Discrimination. It further notes
that, in its submissions of 18 July 2003, the petitioner clarified that Ms.
Fakhra Mohammad, acting as the head of the board of trustees, represented
the Documentation and Advisory Centre when initially submitting the
communication.
6.3 The Committee takes note of the State party's objection that, as a legal
person rather than an individual or a group of individuals, the petitioner
is not entitled to submit a communication or to claim victim status under
article 14, paragraph 1. It equally notes the petitioner's argument that
article 14, paragraph 1, should be interpreted broadly to enable
non-governmental organizations to bring a complaint before the Committee,
and that it should be considered as a victim of a "violation of articles 2,
4, 5 and 6 of the Convention or, respectively, as representing a large group
of unidentified victims", i.e. persons of non-Danish origin who were
discriminated against by the job advertisement in question.
6.4 The Committee does not exclude the possibility that a group of persons
representing, for example, the interests of a racial or ethnic group, may
submit an individual communication, provided that it is able to prove that
it has been an alleged victim of a violation of the Convention or that one
of its members has been a victim, and if it is able atb the same time to
provide due authorization to this effect.
6.5 The Committee notes that, according to the petitioner, no member of the
board of trustees applied for the job. Moreover, the petitioner has not
argued that any of the members of the board, or any other identifiable
person whom the petitioner would be authorized to represent, had a genuine
interest in, or showed the necessary qualifications for, the vacancy.
6.6 While Section 5 of Act No. 459 prohibits discrimination of all persons
of non-Danish origin in job advertisements, whether they apply for a vacancy
or not, it does not automatically follow that persons not directly and
personally affected by such discrimination may claim to be victims of a
violation of any of the rights guaranteed in the Convention. Any other
conclusion would open the door for popular actions (actio popularis) against
the relevant legislation of States parties.
6.7 In the absence of any identifiable victims personally affected by the
allegedly discriminatory job advertisement, whom the petitioner would be
authorized to represent, the Committee concludes that the petitioner has
failed to substantiate, for purposes of article 14, paragraph 1, its claim
that it constitutes or represents a group of individuals claiming to be the
victim of a violation by Denmark of articles 2, paragraph 1 (d), 4, 5 and 6
of the Convention.
7. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination therefore
decides:
(a) That the communication is inadmissible ratione personae under article
14, paragraph 1, of the Convention.
(b) That this decision shall be communicated to the State party and to the
petitioner.
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