Major boost to combatting Hate Crime in Europe

Facing Facts!, an EU-funded project led by an international consortium of partners, gives a major boost to civil society organisations combatting hate crime in Europe through new research, practical guidelines and a unique training programme.

The work was led by CEJI – A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe and ILGA-Europe was an associate partner. This project comes in response to rising hate crimes in the EU and a lack of systematic analysis and approach to confronting hate crimes. Most Member States have not transposed EU decisions on racism and xenophobia into national law. [i]

Hate crimes are criminal acts committed with a bias motive. They can acts of intimidation, threats, property damage, assault, murder or any other criminal offence. The Facing Facts! initiative thus far comprises:

Mapping Report
Based on a survey conducted with civil society organisations from all EU Member States, this Mapping Report shows that while 78% of organisations monitoring hate crime collect data, half of them (51%) have a uniform definition as to what they collect. 47% did not have a method to ensure their data is correct.

Guidelines for Monitoring Hate Crimes & Hate Motivated Incidents
Drawn upon the rich experience of organisations which have been active for many years in combating hate crime the Facing Facts! Guidelines provide Civil Society Organisations with methodological advice on how to collect data on hate incidents, how to verify and classify the collected data, and how to report hate crime and hate-motivated incidents. Available online now in English and soon in French, Spanish, Romanian, Hungarian, and German.

New Manual and Training ProgrammeThis manual, tested in a pilot ‘train the trainer’ seminar in London in November 2012, provides an interactive pedagogical process with practical training resources. It is designed to increase the capacity of NGOs to monitor hate crimes following the set of Guidelines for minimum quality standards that can produce internationally comparable data.

Facing Facts! is a two year project financed by the European Commission aiming to improve monitoring and recording of hate crimes and incidents throughout Europe. CEJI, A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe, is the lead coordinator of the process. Other partners are the CST – Community Security Trust (UK), the CIDI and the COC – Federation of Dutch Associations for the integration of Homosexuality (Netherlands). ILGA – Europe (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association) is an associate partner to the project.

[i] Council Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA, OJ 2008 L 328, p. 55. By November 2010, the Council of the European Union’s Framework Decision on Racism and Xenophobia should have been transposed in Member States’ national laws. According to information collected by the Fundamental Rights Agency, at the beginning of September 2010 five EU Member States had taken measures to transpose the framework decision.