[JURIST] An independent UN human rights expert on Thursday urged South Korea to adopt an anti-discrimination law [press release]. UN Special Rapporteur on racism Mutuma Ruteere said an anti-discrimination law is particularly important because of increasing globalization, with many foreign workers coming to Korea for employment opportunities: “As Korean society becomes more exposed to foreigners and migrant workers living in the country, it is important to continue addressing the issue of racism, xenophobia and discrimination.” According to Ruteere, an anti-discrimination law would provide protections for migrant workers in Korea, including equal pay and safety measures in the workplace. Ruteere also called for greater government support of migrant families.

Discrimination is not only apparent in Korea, but also in many other countries that originally had a culturally and ethnically homogenous society but now have a large number of foreign workers and residents because of globalization. Last year Ruteere urged Spain [JURIST report] to take measures towards eliminating racism because minority groups were subject to unemployment and violence. In 2012 Ruteere called on the international community to be wary of signs of racism [JURIST report] that could lead to escalated conflicts and human rights violations. Ruteere discussed the need to increase preventive measures to address racial discrimination by ensuring the participation of discriminated groups in public and political life and promoting equal opportunities in social and economic areas.