OSCE/ODIHR publishes 2014 hate crime data

WARSAW, 16 November 2015 – Marking the International Day for Tolerance, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today released its 2014 data on its Hate Crime Reporting website.

“Recording and reporting solid data is a critical part of a comprehensive approach to countering hate crime, as such data allow governments to develop evidence-based policies to do this effectively,” said ODIHR Director Michael Georg Link. “However, there continues to be under-reporting in a number of areas. Proper recording of hate crimes when they are reported is also a key challenge for OSCE participating States, and ODIHR stands ready to assist them in meeting their commitments on data collection.”

The 2014 hate crime data include information submitted by 43 participating States, as well as incidents reported by three international organizations and 122 civil society groups, covering a total of 46 countries.

“As participating States work to strengthen their data collection capacity, civil society continues to play a key role in our hate crime reporting,” said Cristina Finch, Head of ODIHR’s Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department. ”The data provided by civil society groups complement official figures, especially in areas that are under-reported.”

See http://hatecrime.osce.org for more information.