Including the Voices of Hate Crime Victims in Policymaking and Policy Implementation: a Practical Guide
Hate crime victims are often excluded from the • Victims who engage in policymaking and policy policymaking process and neglected during policy implementation can use this opportunity to act implementation. This can lead to inadequate, and transform their experience for the benefit of insufficient or ineffective policies and practices. other people targeted in hate crimes and other forms of intolerance. In contrast, by including hate crime victims in the development of policy responses, states can • Engaging with hate crime victims should ensure that systems, policies and programmes are follow a victim-centred, gender-sensitive tailored to the needs of victims, helping them to and intersectional approach. This approach recover and regain agency while upholding their acknowledges that the identities of hate crime rights to redress and support. victims are multifaceted and overlapping. In addition, the principle of “do no harm” must be More specifically: observed at all times. • Victims can provide valuable information to The Guide presents ten practical steps: policymakers and criminal justice professionals, who would otherwise be unable to capture 1. Putting victims at the centre of any fully the impact of hate crimes on victims, their initiative – All potential engagement must family and friends, and the wider community. be voluntary and based on informed consent. Event organizers must not put victims under • Victims can help address problems within pressure to speak in public or engage in other existing criminal justice and victim support ways. structures, such as inequalities, the marginalization of communities and a lack of public awareness about the issue. 2. Choosing a suitable format for engagement – Victims can engage directly • Victims from different communities sharing their as event speakers, indirectly (with the support experience can help the authorities amplify the of a civil society organization), through self- message that hate crime can affect anyone and organized advocacy groups or by contributing will not be tolerated. to empirical research. When selecting a format for engagement, organizers must consider the • Through their involvement in policymaking policy area addressed by the initiative, as well and policy implementation, victims can help as other relevant factors. raise awareness about how victims’ rights to an effective investigation and effective remedy 3. Preparing the engagement – Any should be at the centre of criminal justice engagement with hate crime victims should be responses. preceded by detailed preparation, including logistics, special accommodation for specific part of official advisory groups, which meet at needs that individuals might have, and work regular intervals and have permanent access with both the victims and the audience. This to officials within state structures. should be conducted by professionals who have knowledge of hate crime victimization. 9. Avoiding the instrumentalization of victims and their voices – Any engagement 4. Creating safer spaces – Sufficient with hate crime victims must not be treated safeguards must be put in place to as a way to pursue the aims of an institution, protect victims from the risk of secondary government, political party, civil society or victimization. international organization.
5. Managing expectations – Victims should 10. Ensuring that a range of voices are heard receive clear information about the aims and – While planning a policy-related engagement, objectives of a given initiative, the added it is important to engage communities that value of bringing hate crime victims into have less opportunities to have their voices the discussion, the nature of the process, heard. the possible outcomes, and the audience and their role.
6. Offering support before, during and after the event – A specialist support provider, who is able to provide psychological and emotional INCLUDING THE VOICES OF HATE CRIME VICTIMS For further information, support, should be available before, during IN POLICYMAKING AND POLICY IMPLEMENTATION please see A Practical Guide Including the voices and at the follow-up stage of the initiative. of hate crime victims in policymaking and 7. Building trust and long-term partnerships policy implementation — – The organizers should build trust by investing a practical guide. in long-term partnerships that go beyond one-off events and isolated engagements.
8. Putting systems in place to institutionalize hate crime victims’ voices – Hate crime victims can have a direct impact To learn more about the STARS initiative, please contact on policymaking and policy implementation as ODIHR at hcvictimsupport@odihr.pl
OSCE Office for Funded by With funding from With funding from the Italian the European the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Foreign Affairs Democratic Institutions Union of the Republic of Bulgaria and International Cooperation and Human Rights
Ul. Miodowa 10 This document was prepared as part of the cooperation initiative between the OSCE Office for Democratic 00-251 Warsaw Institutions and Human Rights and the European Commission entitled, “Support to the Organization for Poland Security and Co-operation in Europe (Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights) for knowledge sharing and standard setting on hate crime including hate crime victim support” (CERV-2023-IM-CRAC/ Office: +48 22 520 06 00 RIGH/2). It is funded by the European Union and the governments of Bulgaria and Italy, and implemented by ODIHR. For more information, please visit STARS: Comprehensive Support for Hate Crime Victims. Fax: +48 22 520 06 05 office@odihr.pl
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