Retsudvalget 2022-23 (2. samling)
REU Alm.del Bilag 179
Offentligt
Information on the implementation of certain
recommendations presented by the International
Convention in the Elimination of All Forums of
Racial Discrimination in the concluding
observations on twenty-second to twenty-fourth
periodic reports of Denmark
May 2023
Denmark
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 REU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 179: Danmarks rapport til FN’s komité for Afskaffelse af Alle Former for Racediskrimination, fra udenrigsministeren
Part I
Introduction
The present report is submitted in accordance with the procedure on follow-up to concluding
observations adopted by the Committee. The report has been compiled by the Danish
Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the basis of contributions from relevant ministries of the
Government of Denmark.
Selected recommendations for follow-up
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination adopted its concluding
observations on the twenty-second to twenty-fourth periodic reports of Denmark on the 3
December 2021. In paragraph 43 of the concluding observations the Committee requested
the State party to provide, within 12 months of the adoption of the concluding observations,
information on the implementation of the recommendations contained in paragraphs 19 (b)
(hate crime and hate speech), 27 (situation of the COVID-19 pandemic) and 31
(discrimination against persons of African descent).
Denmark hereby provides additional information on the implementation of the
recommendations as requested by the Committee Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Part II
A. Follow-up information relating to paragraph 19(b) of the
concluding observations (CERD/C/DNK/CO/22-24)
Hate crime and hate speech
“19(b). The Committee recommends the State party to take measures to ensure that all
racially motivated crimes, including crimes with mixed motives, are effectively investigated
and prosecuted, including by adopting concrete operational measures and by examining
potential gaps in investigating, prosecuting and applying the legislation on hate crimes”
Follow-up information
Measures to combat hate crime, both within the judicial system and in other parts of society,
is an important priority for the Danish Government. The financial agreement (2021-2023) for
the Danish police and the Danish prosecution service contains new initiatives to strengthen
the efforts of the police and the prosecution service towards victims of hate crimes. The
initiatives include strengthening the further education of police officers in hate crimes from
2022 with a special focus to improve police handling of victims of hate crimes and the
development of new information material aimed at victims of hate crimes and key
stakeholders.
As a part of further education, the police officers are offered education at the Police Academy
in handling hate crimes. The purpose of this education is to ensure that police officers are
ready and able to handle police tasks related to hate crimes. As part of the ambition to further
focus on hate crime, the education of key personnel groups within the police has been updated
and expanded from a one-day training course to a two-day training course. The Director of
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 REU, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 179: Danmarks rapport til FN’s komité for Afskaffelse af Alle Former for Racediskrimination, fra udenrigsministeren
Public Prosecutions was responsible for teaching parts of the course in June and in November
2022. The next planned course will be held in May 2023.
The Director of Public Prosecution hosted a conference in June 2021 in which prosecutors
had an opportunity to discuss the subject of hate crimes with stakeholders dealing with the
subject and to learn more about hate crimes from victims’ perspective. The Director of Public
Prosecution is also planning an online course on hate crime, which expectedly will be offered
Danish prosecutors in late 2023.
In June 2023, the Director of Public Prosecution will publish a list of cases on hate crime
where the court increased the sentence according to section 81 part 6 of the Danish criminal
code. The list will contain short summaries of relevant cases and the list will be updated twice
a year. The list will be published on the prosecution services website and will be accessible
to all.
Furthermore, the Danish police have introduced a new digital police unit, which is patrolling
on social media through visible police presence in open groups. Thereby, the police are able
to combat different forms of internet related crimes more effectively – for example, online
sexual harassment or racist motivated hate crimes and hate speech.
Finally, the Danish police have developed new information material aimed at victims of hate
crimes, including hate speech, as well as information material aimed at key stakeholders such
as the Muslim Council, the Jewish Community in Denmark, Disabled People’s Organizations
Denmark and the National Association of LGBTI persons in Denmark. The purpose of this
information material is, among other things, to inform potential hate crime victims about
what hate crime and hate speech are in a judicial sense, which hopefully will increase the
reporting of these offences.
B. Follow-up information relating to paragraph 27 of the
concluding observations (CERD/C/DNK/CO/22-24)
Situation of the COVID-19 pandemic
“27. The Committee recommends that the State party further enhance its targeted efforts to
protect ethnic minorities from the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects, in particular by
increasing vaccination uptake and testing among persons from ethnic minority communities,
and taking measures to build trust within these communities in the health-care measures in
place to address the pandemic, including by engaging with a diverse and broad range of
representatives of these communities in the development of such trust-building measures.”
Follow-up information
Denmark has made and will continue to make targeted efforts to protect ethnic minorities
from the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Danish Health Authority has collaborated with
housing organizations, civil society organizations and religious organizations on infection
prevention and testing as well as vaccination uptake with a special focus on persons with an
ethnic minority background.
Prior to receiving the Committee’s concluding observations of 3 December, Denmark made
changes to its national testing and vaccination strategy.
As of March 2022, the Danish Health Authority primarily recommends elderly citizens and
persons at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 to test in case of showing COVID-19
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symptoms and to receive the booster vaccine against COVID-19. The booster vaccine is also
recommended for pregnant women, healthcare staff and social care staff working in close
proximity to persons in high-risk groups or relatives to persons in high-risk groups.
As of April 2023, the national COVID-19 test strategy has been further downscaled. Public
test sites have been closed and citizens or patients are now generally referred to testing either
by their general practitioner or the hospital.
Furthermore, self-tests are offered to employees and their households at larger workplaces in
order to monitor the virus. Due to this monitoring, it is possible for Denmark to increase the
test and vaccination capacity and activity, if necessary, including reinstating a strong
emphasis on protecting ethnic minorities based on learnings from our previous experiences.
This may include the following previous initiatives and will always be in accordance with
the national course of action for COVID-19 testing and vaccination:
Efforts to protect ethnic minorities from the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects
were conducted in cooperation with municipalities and local resident associations
within housing areas. Municipalities and the public housing sector still have an
active role in providing information on vaccination.
In the autumn/winter of 2022, the Danish Health Authority set up a coordination
group for the purpose of targeting citizens from ethnic minorities within the national
target group for vaccination at a local and regional level.
The Danish Health Authority made information on COVID-19 testing and
vaccination available in various formats and languages in order to accommodate
differences in the population’s health literacy, as well as to reach those who do not
speak Danish and those who have difficulties reading long texts.
By recommendation and support from municipalities and civil society
organizations, the Danish Health Authority developed postcards and posters with
brief, informative messages on COVID-19 vaccination. These were translated into
English, Urdu, Turkish, Polish, Somali, Ukrainian, Greenlandic and Arabic.
Experience gained from working with ethnic minorities throughout the COVID-19
pandemic has, however, shown that trust building efforts have a greater influence
on vaccination uptake than translating information material into a wide range of
different languages.
In the autumn/winter of 2022, the Danish Health Authority collaborated with “Mino
Danmark” – a civil society organization that works to strengthen the opportunities,
voices and community participation of ethnic minorities. Together with Mino
Denmark, the Danish Health Authority held talks regarding ex-vaccinations in
different cities with the team
Inequality in health among minority ethnic citizens
in
order to gain access to minority groups and build trust.
C. Follow-up information relating to paragraph 31 of the
concluding observations (CERD/C/DNK/CO/22-24)
Discrimination against persons of African Descent
“31. The Committee recommends that the State party ensure that an independent study is
carried out into the situation of and discrimination against people of African descent in the
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State party, in dialogue and collaboration with the affected community, and that it devise a
strategy and actions to address discrimination against persons of African descent. The
Committee also recommends that the State party strengthen its efforts to disseminate
knowledge of Danish colonial history. The Committee further recommends that the State
party provide an update on strengthening dissemination of knowledge of Danish colonial
history and on concrete actions taken”
Follow-up information
Combating discrimination, racism, hate speech and hate crimes is very important to the
Danish Government. Accordingly, a national action plan against racism is under
development. The aim of the action plan is to fight and prevent racism broadly across the
Danish society through a variety of concrete initiatives.
In order to develop a broad and effective action plan, the Government is including a
comprehensive number of stakeholders in the work, which include both political parties, non-
governmental organizations as well as other representatives from the civil society and
affected communities. The action plan against racism is currently under preparation and is
expected to be completed in 2023.
Regarding efforts to disseminate knowledge of Danish colonial history, a report on the
dissemination of knowledge of Danish colonial history commissioned as part of the 2021
budget was delivered for political consideration in April 2022. A committee involving
national cultural institutions and relevant organizations composed the report.
The report concluded that significant dissemination of knowledge of Danish colonial history
takes place in both the educational system as well as through cultural institutions such as
museums. The report concludes that dissemination of knowledge has increased during the
last 5-10 years, as part of an international tendency. The 2017 marking of the centenary of
the sale of the present US Virgin Islands to the US has also played a role in increasing the
attention to the subject.
As a result, the availability of relevant educational materials has increased significantly and
attention has been called to the need for broader perspectives on colonial history in museums.
Major digitization of archival material related to the former Danish West Indies has also
taken place at the National Archives.
The report also conducted a survey regarding the knowledge of colonial history among the
general population. The report concluded that for most respondents, knowledge of Danish
colonial history is present but often limited to very general terms. The report pointed to a
significant potential interest in additional initiatives regarding dissemination of knowledge
of colonial history.
The National Museum has a national responsibility for research regarding and dissemination
of knowledge of Danish colonial history. The Museum opened a new exhibition on colonial
history in 2017 with an increased focus on the voices of colonized people.
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