Non-governmental organizations key to fighting hate crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina

SARAJEVO, 3 June 2011 – The role of non-governmental organizations in the fight against hate crimes was the focus of a two-day workshop in Jahorina organized by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, in co-operation with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), that concluded in Jahorina today.

Twenty-five NGO representatives attended the workshop on preventing and responding to hate crimes.

“Hate crimes are crimes based on prejudice and intolerance, and unfortunately no society is immune,” stated Kendall Palmer, the Acting Deputy Director of the Mission’s Human Di-mension Department, adding that hate crimes often target the most vulnerable groups in soci-ety and if not properly addressed can trigger a sense of insecurity and distrust within communities.

“Non-governmental organizations have the capacity to raise awareness and campaign against intolerance and prejudice. They can also contribute significantly to tackling hate crimes, through monitoring and reporting incidents and providing necessary assistance and counselling to victims of hate crimes,” said Matilde Fruncillo, Adviser on Civil Society Relations at ODIHR’s Tolerance and Non-discrimination Department.

The Mission has been monitoring bias-motivated incidents and the responses to such incidents by law enforcement, judicial authorities, public authorities and members of affected communities since 2008. ODIHR supports civil society in preventing and responding to hate crimes.

“There is still a lot more work to be done in this area and the Mission will continue to assist BiH institutions and NGOs in tackling the issue of hate crimes, including by advocating for legislative reform and providing support to law enforcement agencies and the judiciary,” said Palmer.