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Home Newsroom News and press releases Government officials from 40 countries discuss data collection on hate crimes at OSCE meeting in Vienna
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Government officials from 40 countries discuss data collection on hate crimes at OSCE meeting in Vienna

VIENNA 28 October 2009

VIENNA, 28 October 2009 - Ways of improving state responses in the fight against crimes motivated by racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance, including against Muslims and Christians, were being discussed at an OSCE meeting that started Vienna today.

The two-day event brings together government focal points on hate crimes from 40 OSCE participating States. The meeting is organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Greek OSCE Chairmanship.

"Without solid data it is difficult to design proper policy responses to address hate crimes," said Floriane Hohenberg, head of ODIHR's tolerance and non-discrimination department. "There is no clear indication on the number of hate crimes in the OSCE region. Not all governments collect data or make it public, and those who do often follow widely different methodologies. This needs to be addressed urgently."

OSCE participating States have asked ODIHR to collect and disseminate information on the number of hate crimes and on good practices to fight hate-motivated violence. Focal points have been appointed in governments throughout the region to provide ODIHR with national data and information on projects designed to respond to hate crimes.

"Compared to other crimes, hate crimes have a powerful psychological impact on victims and entire communities. If left unaddressed, they can sow seeds of conflict and degenerate into wider-scale violence," said Hohenberg.

"We see that states with good data collection systems identify 'vulnerable spots' where crimes occur and work closely with communities and law enforcement agencies to prevent further escalation."

The national focal points will discuss data collection by law enforcement agencies, criminal justice systems and hate crime legislation in various OSCE participating States. They will also look at partnerships which can be developed between civil society and focal points to gather more reliable data.