Publications

The Diagnostic Tool is a practical tool for assessing shortcomings and strengths in national hate crime victim support structures and services. The primary purpose of the Tool is to enable hate crime victim support practitioners, officials, activists and policymakers to identify areas in their national systems that require improvement to enhance protection and support for victims of hate crime.

The objective of this compendium is to illustrate the main features of an effective individual needs assessment (INA) of hate crime victims, using existing practices and initiatives that have been developed in relation to different aspects of INAs in countries covered by ODIHR's EStAR project. The publication shows that a more robust approach to developing an INA as an essential post-victimization tool is necessary, and that greater recognition is required of the importance and utility of this tool in securing victims’ rights and enabling their access to relevant services to address needs.

The Master of Sciences in “Transitional Justice” program at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Tirana is established to consolidate the conduct of research and teaching in the field of transitional justice in Albania. Through a comprehensive and integrated curriculum, the Master’s Programme will address those dimensions that are critical for understanding transitional justice in Albania, with specific reference to the social, political, institutional and legal context in which the transition from the communist past took place to the main actors and to what extent justice has been/can be achieved. The programme will draw lessons from comparisons with other societies transitioning from war-to-peace or authoritarianism-to-democracy.

Intolerance and discrimination have affected Roma and Sinti communities for centuries, and continue to be a concern in the OSCE region, including harmful discourse and stereotyping. Too often, this intolerance can morph into anti-Roma hate crimes, ranging from anti-Roma graffiti to racially-motivated violence. Hate crime has a significant, long-lasting impact on victims, perpetuates inequality, and undermines security and social cohesion. Anti- Roma hate crimes send a message of exclusion not only to Roma and Sinti victims and their communities, but society as a whole. Everyone has a role to play in addressing anti-Roma hate crimes and all forms of intolerance and discrimination. This factsheet highlights the impact of anti-Roma hate crime and provides guidance on identifying such crimes.

Hate crimes motivated by racism and xenophobia can take a range of forms, targeting people from diverse groups across the OSCE region. While some communities are particularly vulnerable, any ethnic or racial group can be the target of racism.

This is a publication that brings together a variety of perspectives, ideas and challenges identified by the partners of OSCE Presence in Albania from the non-government organizations and community activists at the local level.

Hate crimes pose a threat to the security of individuals, and, if unaddressed, can give rise to wider scale conflict and violence.

This easy-to-understand version was produced as part of the ODIHR project "Strengthening Inclusive and Accountable Democratic Institutions in the OSCE Region".

Hate crime victimization can be profoundly traumatic. Victim support is vital to healing the trauma of crime by helping victims to manage the harms inflicted and deal with the aftermath if seeking justice.

Gender-based hate crimes are a consequence of gender inequalities and disproportionately affect women, as well as anyone perceived as not complying with prevailing gender norms. Gender-based hate crimes often seek to intimidate and suppress ways of life or expressions of identity that are perceived as not complying with traditional gender norms. They have a significant, long-lasting impact on the victims, and undermine security and social cohesion by perpetuating gender inequalities. The existence of such crimes also underscores wider trends of intolerance towards other groups. Everyone has a role to play in countering this and all forms of intolerance.