Police, prosecutors confront hate crime against people with disabilities at OSCE/ODIHR workshop in Croatia

Recognizing, investigating and prosecuting hate crime against people with disabilities was the focus of a workshop for police officers and prosecutors from Croatia, organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in co-operation with the European Network for Independent Living (ENIL) and the Office of the Croatian Ombudsman for Persons with Disabilities, held in Zagreb on 2-3 June 2016.

This is the first workshop specifically dedicated to strengthening the ability of police and prosecutors to counter hate crimes against people with disabilities, exploring the particular nature and impacts of these crimes. Participants also discussed how to work with victims and witnesses with disabilities in the criminal justice process, to ensure their full participation and full respect of their rights, and to fulfill international legal obligations.

"Understanding and recognizing hate crimes against people with disabilities is crucial," said Ales Giao Hanek, ODIHR’s Hate Crime Officer. "Without that ability, police and prosecutors will not record, investigate or prosecute these cases. The lack of systematic data on disability hate crime – a reflection of this situation – in turn is a challenge to developing and implementing inclusive policies."

Incidents of disability hate crime remain under-reported and under-recorded across the OSCE region. Although 21 participating States include disability as a protected characteristic in their hate crime laws, only five reported some data to ODIHR on disability hate crime as recorded by police in 2014.

This is the third such event held since 2014 by ODIHR in co-operation with ENIL and the Croatian Office of the Ombudsman for Persons with Disabilities.