Victim support must be at the centre of an effective response to hate crime, say participants at OSCE/ODIHR event

Techniques to improve states’ support for victims of hate crime were the focus of an event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 20 September in Warsaw on the margins of the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting.

The discussions focused on how participating States can best support victims of hate crimes throughout the criminal justice process. After discussing the needs of hate crime victims and the existing support mechanisms provided by civil society organizations, participants were introduced to the underlying principles and recommendations of a forthcoming ODIHR publication on victim support, which is aimed at criminal justice system bodies and other government agencies. ODIHR’s new publication will offer guidance on providing comprehensive support to victims of hate crime, as well as good practice examples from various states.

“We want to respond to gaps in the implementation by OSCE participating States of their commitments on hate crime. Most states focus on the punitive aspect of their responses to hate crimes, leaving the victims with insufficient protection and support," said Cristina Finch, Head of ODIHR’s Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department. "ODIHR is working closely with states and civil society to overcome this challenge, put victims first, and complements ODIHR’s set of tools to support states in addressing hate crimes.”

During the event the preliminary findings of ODIHR’s 2017 hate crime reporting were presented. The findings will be published on 16 November.