New indicators for the follow-up of linguistic rights
The Ministry of Justice has designed specific indicators to follow the linguistic rights. The indicators measure and explain the realisation of linguistic rights and viable bilingualism and show the trends in these.
The indicators can also be used for monitoring linguistic rights and the national language policy and as a tool for decision-making on language policy. They will be applied to the groups of speakers and users of the Finnish, Swedish, Sami and sign language and, as far as possible, to other languages groups.
The proposed set of indicators is divided into three groups. Structural indicators describe the elements that support the realisation of linguistic rights, process indicators measure the impact of central government steering instruments in the realisation of linguistic rights, and end-result indicators are concerned with experiences of how the rights are realised in practice from the perspective of an individual and a community.
The proposal is based on the Strategy for the National Languages of Finland adopted as a Government Resolution. In constructing the indicators use has been made of the human rights indicator model designed by the UN.
The first stage of the development work has now been completed and work on the indicators continues, including by a more thorough study of the data sources to be used for the indicators. The ministries and other public authorities, in particular, are hoped to bring the indicators into wide use.
Inquiries:
Vava Lunabba, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 150 136
Panu Artemjeff, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 150 211
email: [email protected]