A report said that hate crimes continued to be a serious problem across Europe – with numerous instances in 2010 of intimidation, threats, vandalism, arson, assault, and murder, targeting individuals or groups because of their ethnicity, religion, or other status.
Source: Hate Crimes in the OSCE Region: Incidents and responses, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Links: Report | OSCE press release
Date: 2011-Nov
A report for the equal rights watchdog said that the number of hate crimes recorded by the police service in England and Wales had fallen to 47,229 in 2010 from 50,868 in 2009. But there was still significant under-reporting of some types of targeted violence such as disability-related harassment. Some police forces, local councils, and social landlords did not always recognize their role in preventing such incidents.
Source: Neil Chakraborti, David Gadd, Paul Gray, and Sam Wright, Public Authority Commitment and Action to Eliminate Targeted Harassment and Violence, Research Report 74, Equality and Human Rights Commission
Links: Report | EHRC press release
Date: 2011-Oct
An article challenged approaches to dealing with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual (LGBT) safety that narrowly focused on reporting within a hate crime 'paradigm'. It called for a broader social policy framework that used multi-agency approaches to community safety for those who experienced abuse on the basis of their sexual and/or gender identities.
Source: Kath Browne, Leela Bakshi, and Jason Lim, ' "It's something you just have to ignore": understanding and addressing contemporary lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans safety beyond hate crime paradigms', Journal of Social Policy, Volume 40 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Oct
A study examined whether the European Union had the legal competence to adopt legislation on crimes motivated by hatred against specified groups identified by reference to race, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age, and religion.
Source: Steve Peers, The Legal Grounds for Inclusive EU Legislation Against Bias Violence and Hatred, ILGA-Europe
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Oct
The equality and human rights watchdog said that hundreds of thousands of disabled people regularly experienced harassment or abuse, but that a 'culture of disbelief' was preventing public authorities from tackling it effectively. Many disabled people had come to accept harassment – including verbal and physical abuse, theft and fraud, sexual harassment, and bullying – as inevitable.
Source: Hidden in Plain Sight: Inquiry into disability-related harassment, Equality and Human Rights Commission
Links: Report | EHRC press release | ACPO press release | Radar press release | Scope press release | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Sep
A report examined hate crimes and discrimination as experienced by Muslims. It considered the environment in which such acts might be encouraged and legitimized – including discriminatory legislation resulting in social inequality in jobs, housing, and social services; and negative media representation of Muslims.
Source: Saied Ameli, Ebrahim Mohseni Ahooei, Ehsan Shaghasemi, and Maryam Rahimpour, Getting the Message: The recurrence of hate crimes in the UK, Islamic Human Rights Commission
Links: Summary | IHRC press release
Date: 2011-Jul
A report examined how police services across England tackled hate crime against people with a learning disability. There was evidence to indicate that, at the national level, disability hate crime in general was becoming more of a priority for the police: but there was still room for improvement, particularly at local level.
Source: Sanah Sheikh, Robert Pralat, Chris Reed, and Chih Hoong Sin, Don t Stand By, Mencap
Links: Report | ACPO press release | Scope press release | BBC report | Community Care report | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Jun
An article said that the offence of 'hate crime' invited and depended on the identification of a person as different, thereby reinforcing culturally embedded ideas of normality and disability.
Source: Linda Piggott, 'Prosecuting disability hate crime: a disabling solution?', People, Place & Policy, Volume 5 Issue 1
Links: Article
Date: 2011-Apr
An article examined whether the portrayal of disabled people as categorically 'vulnerable' had weakened the impetus towards introducing hate crime provisions and legal justice for disabled people.
Source: Alan Roulstone, Pam Thomas, and Susie Balderston, 'Between hate and vulnerability: unpacking the British criminal justice system's construction of disablist hate crime', Disability & Society, Volume 26 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Apr
The equality and human rights watchdog in Scotland published a study of programmes that specifically set out to challenge and reduce reoffending in relation to hate crime, and to determine what learning could be drawn for future programmes and interventions with offenders.
Source: Paul Iganski and David Smith with others, Rehabilitation of Hate Crime Offenders, Equality and Human Rights Commission Scotland
Links: Report | Summary | EHRC press release
Date: 2011-Mar