OSCE/ODIHR publishes two reports on hate crimes and education on the Holocaust and anti-Semitism
WARSAW, 2 June 2005 - Two reports giving an overview of education on the Holocaust and anti-Semitism and the prevention of hate crimes in the OSCE area have been published by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.
The papers are an important step towards the implementation of commitments made by OSCE participating States in late 2003 and 2004 to fight intolerance and discrimination.
The first report, Combating Hate Crimes in the OSCE Region: An Overview of Statistics, Legislation and National Initiatives, addresses violent manifestations of racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination and intolerance.
It highlights key commitments made by OSCE states in 2004, including the collection of reliable information and statistics on hate crimes and the provision of such information to the ODIHR.
Attention is drawn to the fact that while consistent data collection across the OSCE region is essential to combating hate crimes effectively, there is a substantial lack of information on hate crimes in many OSCE participating States.
The report also recommends developing general guidelines for OSCE participating States in order to increase the consistency and quality of statistics and information on hate crimes. It stresses the need for strengthened legislation to combat hate crimes and recommends states to seek the ODIHR's assistance in the drafting and review of such legislation.
It recognizes the crucial role of law enforcement officers as the first respondents to hate crimes and the need to increase their capacity to identify, investigate and respond effectively to hate-motivated offences. Data collection templates and training programmes have already been developed as part of the ODIHR's Law Enforcement Training Programme for Combating Hate Crimes.
The report further recommends the establishment of a task force on Combating Hate Crimes which would bring together experts dealing with law enforcement, legislation and criminal justice, education and data collection to ensure that a comprehensive and regional approach for combating hate crimes is pursued.
The second report, Overview and Analysis of Approaches to Education on the Holocaust and on Anti-Semitism, provides background on what is already being done in this field and identifies good practices.
The first part of the study is based on information provided by national ministries of education, national delegations of the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research (ITF), experts, educators, Jewish communities and NGOs in response to a questionnaire. With a response from 54 out of the 55 OSCE states, the importance of Holocaust remembrance and education has been documented clearly across the OSCE region.
The report identifies gaps and areas where teaching about the Holocaust and anti-Semitism needs to be strengthened. A main finding suggests that Holocaust education cannot be used, either preventively or as a corrective, against all contemporary manifestations of anti-Semitism. Therefore, it is important that the history of the Holocaust and present-day anti-Semitism are treated as distinct subjects.
The second part of the report constitutes a first step in this regard: using country overviews on four OSCE States, it highlights the need to supplement Holocaust education in response to new forms of anti-Semitism and provides a number of recommendations.
Both reports will be presented at the 8 and 9 June OSCE Conference on Anti-Semitism and on Other Forms of Intolerance in Cordoba, Spain, along with other projects and initiatives undertaken by the ODIHR to support OSCE States in implementing their OSCE commitments.