In line with its mandate to assist OSCE participating States in their efforts to address all forms of intolerance and discrimination, ODIHR presented a series of tools on addressing racist, xenophobic and anti-Muslim intolerance and discrimination during an event attended by 25 representatives of the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities, ombuds institutions, the Presidency of Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Justice of Türkiye. Participants discussed the situation of anti-Muslim, anti-migrant and xenophobic hate incidents, including those targeting Turkish nationals living in other OSCE participating States. Moreover, the Turkish translation of ODIHR’s guide on Understanding Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes - Addressing the Security Needs of Muslim Communities was presented to the participants. Participants also explored ways in which ODIHR can support the Turkish government in their actions to prevent, combat and report hate crimes and hate incidents. This event builds on a previous awareness-raising event with the Turkish authorities held in September 2021.

OSCE participating States have made a number of commitments to address hate crime. These include passing legislation providing penalties that take into account the gravity of hate crime, taking action to address under-reporting, and introducing or further developing capacity-building activities for law enforcement, prosecution services and judicial officials on preventing, investigating and prosecuting hate crimes. Specifically, states have repeatedly committed to collect, maintain and make public reliable data on hate crimes.

Robust communication among all relevant national institutions is key to implementing these commitments. While law enforcement and criminal justice agencies may be the primary institutions involved in implementing these commitments, the role of human rights institutions, including equality bodies and ombuds institutions, is equally important. In particular, civil society is a vital partner in monitoring and reporting incidents, supporting victims, fostering community relations and raising awareness of hate crime among the public. 

Building on the interest of the Office of the Commissioner for Administration and Protection of Human Rights (Ombudsperson) of Cyprus, ODIHR helped to establish a Working Group to facilitate inter-agency co-operation on addressing hate crime. The Working Group consists of representatives of the Ombudsperson’s Office, the Ministry of Interior (Police), the Attorney General’s Office, the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance, the University of Cyprus, and representatives of civil society organizations working to address intolerance, discrimination and hate crime.

During the second meeting of the Working Group – held on 24 March 2022 – participants discussed an Action Point-document to be drafted by ODIHR. To follow up on this initiative, a third meeting was held online on 11 May, during which national stakeholders working to address hate crime were assigned the responsibility for implementing each Action Point. The fruitful discussion laid the foundation for ODIHR to draft an Agreement on Inter-agency Co-operation on Addressing Hate Crime in Cyprus.

In May, ODIHR organized a three-day workshop in Warsaw on strengthening coalitions to address anti-Semitism, intolerance and discrimination in and through education for members of the European Network for Countering Antisemitism through Education (ENCATE). The event formed part of ODIHR’s activities to support the capacity of civil society to address intolerance and discrimination, including through enhancing their strategic planning skills to advocate for change, developing partnerships and building coalitions. The workshop was organized in partnership with the Kreuzberg Initiative against Antisemitism (KIgA e.V.) and ENCATE.

ENCATE is a network of civil society organizations (CSOs), whose members aim to educate society about contemporary and historical aspects of anti-Semitism. The network brings together hands-on experience and practical approaches in the educational work of countering anti-Semitism, while striving to complement the work of other Jewish organizations and communities, CSOs and international organizations. ODIHR supports the work of the network through capacity-building activities. Through presentations and discussions, participants acquired an overview of how to plan their work strategically, build effective coalitions and communicate for impact. In a dedicated session, they also learnt about ODIHR’s tools and resources intended for civil society working to address intolerance and discrimination. The speakers included representatives of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Civil Liberties Union for Europe, and the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. Participants also took part in a guided tour of the POLIN Museum.

ODIHR presented its two latest tools – factsheets on Racist and Xenophobic Hate Crime and on Anti-Roma Hate Crime – at an international conference organized by ODIHR on “Migration, Human Rights and Inclusion: Assessing the Role of Civil Society in the OSCE Region.” Over 60 civil society activists from 19 countries, as well as representatives of a number of international organizations, gathered at the event held in Warsaw on 28 June 2022. The factsheets provide a concise description of racist and xenophobic and anti-Roma hate crime using simple, accessible and gender-sensitive language. Available in a total of 12 languages, the translations – funded by the WiA project – will strengthen understanding and awareness of hate crime among speakers of these languages, and provide an introduction to other, more detailed ODIHR resources and tools.

• Portuguese and Romanian translations of ODIHR’s publication on Addressing Anti-Semitism through Education: Teaching Aids.

Turning Words into Action to Address Intolerance

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The WiA project is implemented across the entire OSCE region with generous funding by the Government of Canada, Germany, the United States as well as other participating States.