Стратегічна панорама (Dec 2021)
ETHNIC INTOLERANCE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE SPREAD OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: CHALLENGES AND CONTROL MEASURES
Abstract
The article identifies the main ethno-political challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had global consequences for the level of social cohesion and social stability, as well as the pace of further sustainable development at the international and national levels. The global COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on human rights worldwide and has led to growing social inequality and discrimination against individual minority communities, as well as to the conflict potential of ethnic/racial relations in societies through the spread of ethnic xenophobia and intolerance. The article aims to analyze the main trends of interethnic intolerance during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ukrainian society and to identify public policy approaches to ensure domestic political stability and social cohesion in the field of interethnic relations. The article analyzes the manifestations of the main tendencies of the coronavirus pandemic influence on the state of ethnic groups in the Ukrainian society, the level of ethnic tolerance and the manifestations of interethnic intolerance. The article concludes that despite a growing trend of xenophobia towards ethnic groups, no significant increase in hate crimes has been registered in Ukraine. However, shortcomings of the legal framework negatively affect the ability of the authorities to effectively register and confront the manifestations of ethnic intolerance at the national level. The article also analyzes the influence of socio-economic instability on the manifestations of xenophobia and the perceived/real threat of discrimination based on ethnicity. The author defines the need to overcome socio-economic inequality of vulnerable minority groups, which is an important component of state policy of sustainable development in the post-COVID period. The article also considers the risks of spreading interethnic prejudices and hate speech in the domestic information space, their impact on the state of interethnic relations in Ukrainian society, social consolidation for sustainable development of Ukraine.
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