Improve responses to hate crimes against disabled people, say participants of ODIHR workshop in Oslo

More needs to be done to improve responses to hate-motivated crimes against people with disabilities, said participants at a joint workshop organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombudsperson in Norway, in Oslo on 26 November 2012.

The 23 participants representing civil society organizations in Denmark, Norway and Sweden discussed the need for hate-motivated crimes against people with disabilities to be recognized and recorded by the authorities.

“There is very low awareness of the problem of hate-motivated crimes against disabled people, including in Norway,” said Eli Knosen, Senior Adviser to the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombudsperson in Norway. “This is why I approached ODIHR to bring together people working in disability issues in the region to share experiences and knowledge.”

“We believe that co-operation between civil society organizations working with people with disabilities, and the police and other authorities is vital in ensuring that OSCE commitments on hate crime are fully implemented by participating States,” said Azra Junuzović, Deputy Head of ODIHR’s Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department.

During the workshop, participants noted the key challenges in reporting hate-motivated crimes against people with disabilities and the barriers facing victims in accessing justice. These issues will be raised at a Scandinavian regional seminar planned for spring 2013, to be attended by government officials and civil society organizations.

ODIHR's annual hate crime report for 2011, published on 16 November 2012, demonstrated significant gaps in information on hate-motivated crimes against disabled people. Only two participating States - Germany and the United Kingdom - reported data to ODIHR.