Czech Republic: Assessing hate crime victim support structures and services
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Hate crime victims are targeted simply because of who they are and the group to which they belong. As a result, hate crime victims require specialist support and protection to address the harm done. To ensure hate crime victims’ needs are met, ODIHR supports States to improve the quality of hate crime victim support structures and services in the OSCE region.
The aim of this workshop is to assess hate crime victim support in the Czech Republic in order to develop a priority plan of action and recommendations to address any gaps and shortcomings. The event will draw on the results of a pre-workshop assessment completed by participants, as well as on ODIHR’s extensive resources and expertise in this area.
Why is this important?
The provision of high-quality specialist hate crime victim protection and support should be at the heart of any action to address hate crimes. Too often, victim support remains an overlooked component of the overall policy response. To better address this challenge, the OSCE participating States have committed to improving support for hate crime victims, including by:
- taking steps to encourage victims to report hate crimes;
- providing hate crime victims with access to counselling and legal assistance, as well as effective access to justice;
- promoting building the capacity of law enforcement by training and developing guidelines on an effective hate crimes response, including with the aim of increasing positive interactions between police and victims; and
- supporting civil society work to assist hate crime victims.
To learn more about hate crime victim support standards and best practices, read ODIHR’s publication on Hate Crime Victims in the Criminal Justice System.
Background
The workshop is organized as part of a joint initiative of ODIHR and the European Commission on Strengthening Targeted Assistance and Response Structures for Hate Crime Victims in the OSCE Region (STARS). The initiative is funded by the European Union through the “Support to the Organization for 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/RIGH/2), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy.