Hate crime
We can help immediately after an incident or at any stage
Related links:
If someone commits a crime against you or your property because of your age, race, faith, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability, this is called a hate crime. Being a victim of this kind of crime can be a particularly frightening experience as you have been victimised because of who you are, or who or what your attacker thinks you are.
Hate crime can take place anywhere – at home, in the streets, and at work, schools and colleges. Incidents can include threats, verbal abuse, arson, robbery, violence towards you and damage to your property. Every year, thousands of people in Britain are victims of hate crimes.
Nobody should have to live with the fear and anxiety that this crime causes. It can also affect other people living nearby, especially if they are seen to be part of the same group in society. As well as the emotional and physical harm, victims of hate crime may suffer serious financial losses. At its most extreme, you may be made homeless or forced to leave an area or feel so unsafe that you choose to move away. Other costs that you might have to bear include the cost of repairing damage, cleaning or painting over graffiti, replacing possessions and increasing home and personal security. You may or may not have insurance to cover these – even if you do, there may be costs associated with a no-claims bonus or a policy excess. You may also have to pay for the cost of travelling to medical appointments or court, or simply to protect yourself from further attacks by taking taxis rather than public transport.
Homophobic hate crimes
According to the Stonewall website
www.stonewall.org.uk, In England and Wales Section 146 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 empowers courts impose tougher sentences for offences motivated or aggravated by the victim's sexual orientation. Perpetrators of homophobic hate crimes cannot be charged with a specific offence of homophobically motivated harassment for example. Instead perpetrators of homophobic hate crimes would be charged with existing offences, such as assault, and the homophobic motivation would be taken into account during sentencing.
This, potentially, could mean that the person who sexually assaulted you could be charged with sexual assault and that the court would then consider imposing a higher sentence due to the hate element of the assault.
How we can help
The effects of hate crime can last for a long time, especially if you have suffered repeatedly. Many people find it helps to talk to someone who understands. We can help immediately after an incident or at any stage. Our trained volunteers can listen to you in confidence and give information, practical help and emotional support. They can also give you information about the criminal justice system and compensation if you choose to report the crime. We can also give you information about dealing with a range of organisations, such as your employer and housing agencies, if you are having difficulties with them because of what has happened to you.
Our specially-trained hate crime volunteers can:
- help you to cope with the emotional effects of being a victim of hate crime
- support you and other members of your family if necessary
- help you get in touch with other organisations that can help if there are problems we can’t deal with
- help you to deal with other agencies, such as the police or housing department
- give you advice on safety and home security
- organise practical help after a break-in at your home, such as repairs to broken locks
If you have difficulties with English, we can normally provide interpreters.
As well as giving you information about the police and court procedures, our volunteers can go with you to the police station and to court. We can also liaise with other organisations on your behalf if you want us to, and we can put you in touch with other sources of practical help, such as people who can remove graffiti.
Reporting the crime
It’s your decision to report a hate crime to the police – we won’t pressure you and you can get help from Victim Support without the police being involved. But if nobody knows about the crime, nothing will be done to stop it happening again. The good news is that you can report a hate crime without having to speak to the police directly. Many of our offices are ‘third party reporting centres’ – this means that you can report a crime to us and we’ll let the police know for you. This can be done anonymously if you don’t want the police to know your name.
Help at court
If you report a hate crime to the police, the offender may have to go to court. That means you could be asked to appear as a witness. If you do, our Witness Service will be there to help before, during and after the trial. We’ll give you emotional support and information to help you prepare for being a witness.
Some practical ideas
If you're a victim of hate crime, remember that's it's not your fault. However, there are things you can do that may help to reduce the risk of it happening again and they may help you feel like you are getting your life back under control. These are some of the things you could do:
- improve your basic home security – for example by adding locks and bolts to doors and windows
- go one step further and install security equipment like CCTV, video intercoms or panic buttons
- keep a note of all incidents related to the hate crime - including times, dates and details of what happened
- get someone to accompany you if you decide to report the crime to the police.
Get in touch: we can help
Most people are referred to us by the police when they report a crime. But anyone can contact us directly if they want to.
You can also email or call the Victim Supportline on 0845 30 30 900 for support and information.