ODIHR event in London brings together experts to discuss challenges in countering hate crime against migrants

Hate crime against migrants was the focus of an expert roundtable meeting organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 27 and 28 February 2018 in London.

Forty-seven participants, 26 women and 21 men, from 14 OSCE participating States included representatives from national and local authorities, the academic and research community and international organizations, as well as civil society experts, practitioners and migrants working on hate crime, discrimination and migrant integration.

“Although systematic data on hate crime against migrants across the OSCE region are lacking, a growing body of evidence suggests that hate-motivated incidents against migrants remain a critical problem, and that participating States must do more to address this issue,” said Cristina Finch, Head of ODIHR’s Tolerance and Non-discrimination Department. “Ensuring effective systems are in place to report, record and address hate crimes is essential to meeting this challenge and preventing a climate of fear or escalation.”

“States across the OSCE region have all committed to promoting migrant integration, and authorities need to continue to support the development of inclusive societies that can prosper and benefit all their members in the coming years,” said Christine Hirst, Deputy Head of ODIHR’s Democratization Department. “Political leaders have a particular responsibility to lead by example, to avoid intolerant rhetoric and to ensure they do not lend support or provide incentives for hate-motivated incidents.”

Paul Giannasi, Manager of the United Kingdom’s Cross-Government Hate Crime Programme, said: “We are delighted to play host to this important conference in London. Bringing together experts from across the OSCE region is vital to sharing our experiences and learning from others. This is essential if states are to comply with their legal and moral duty to protect all citizens and residents from targeted abuse.”

The roundtable participants discussed the harmful role of political rhetoric, the importance of promoting inclusion and education on tolerance, measures to improve reporting rates and increase the reliability of hate crime statistics, ways to eliminate racial profiling from national security and migration policies and other policy responses to hate crime against migrants. Recommendations from the meeting will be circulated widely among stakeholders in OSCE participating States.