International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
21 March marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (IDERD). Calling it ‘Harmony Day’ in Australia disregards the lived experiences of so many in our community.
As we take the opportunity to celebrate our cultural diversity this week, we also need to reflect on the origins of this day and how far we have yet to go towards addressing racism in our society.
This day is observed each year on the day when, in 1960, police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire on protestors at a peaceful anti-apartheid demonstration. In 1979, the United Nations General Assembly organised an annual week of solidarity with peoples struggling against racism and racial discrimination.
2025 marks the 60th anniversary of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, adopted on 21 December 1965, as the first of the UN’s core international human rights treaties.
Read more about the origins and significance of IDERD in these fact sheets from the Australian Human Rights Commission.
On this day, we are amplifying the voices of multicultural young people like Chelsea and Abraham, who have shared their stories as part of our Schools Standing Up to Racism series of resources for Victorian schools.
At CMY, our purpose is to create a society where multicultural young people live a life where they are connected and can fully reach their potential. To do this, we must collectively work to break down the structural and systemic barriers that exist – actively shaping the systems, attitudes and behaviours that will create the society we all deserve.
If you have experienced racism, we encourage you to report it confidentially to the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission via the Community Reporting Tool on our website.
We acknowledge that this day might bring up different emotions for people. For anyone who might be struggling during this time, we encourage you to reach out to one of the organisations below for support.
- Lifeline Australia: 24/7 Crisis Support and Suicide Prevention
- Kids Helpline: 24/7 Helpline to support children and young people aged 5-25
- Suicide Call Back Service: 24/7 phone and online counselling
- 13YARN: 24/7 Crisis Support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- Headspace: Mental health support for young people aged 12-25
- Beyond Blue: 24/7 free telephone and online counselling