MINELRES: UNITED: Fwd: 2008 Hate Crimes Report - submission of information
[email protected]
[email protected]
Mon Feb 9 17:26:02 2009
Original sender: UNITED <[email protected]>
UNITED E-NEWS 04-02-2009: 2008 Hate Crimes Report - submission of
information
*** See forwarded email below - For more information please refer to
[email protected] ***
Dear Civil Society Representatives,
The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) is now
preparing the 2008 annual report on hate crimes which provides an
overview of data collected on hate crimes as well as of legislative
responses to combat hate crimes. The report also identifies patterns
pertaining to hate crimes and presents information on measures
implemented by governments to respond to this phenonemon.
We would therefore kindly invite you to submit information for the 2008
annual report. Please note that the attached document describes the
process in which the report is developed.
Please note that following items are most relevant:
1. Information on hate crimes (please refer to the ODIHR working
definition of hate crime) and responses of governments, civil society
and specialized bodies;
2. Information on the presence of hate-motivated discourse, including
pattern related to incitement of hatred on the internet, hate speech in
political discourse and responses of public authorities to such
occurrences;
3. Information on the application of relevant hate crime legislation,
adoption or amendment of the hate crime legislation or the initiative to
endorse such legislation;
4. Statistical information on any of the points listed above and
information on existing trends in relation to hate crimes in 2008.
Information submitted on individual hate crimes and the presence of
hate-motivated discourse should be, to the greatest possible extent,
brief and concise and should include the data on:
The type of incident (brief description);
The victim(s)
Information on the perpetrator;
Response of the government, law enforcement or any other public body;
Any other relevant information.
The ODIHR is aware that submission of individual cases can be lengthy
and time-consuming. Therefore, we encourage you to submit already
available reports.
Information should be submitted not later than 13 March 2009 to the
following email address: [email protected] indicating in the subject line
"HC Report 2008 _ NAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION".
We look forward to our continued co-operation with you.
Yours Sincerely,
Azra Junuzovic
Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department
----------------------------
Questions and Answers for the Hate Crime Report
� Why does the ODIHR develop the Report?
The 2006 Ministerial Council Decision tasked the ODIHR to:
- "continue to serve as a collection point for information and
statistics on hate crimes and relevant legislation provided by
participating States and to make this information publicly available
through its Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Information System and its
report on Challenges and Responses to Hate-Motivated Incidents in the
OSCE Region";
- "strengthen, within its existing resources, its early warning function
to identify, report and raise awareness on hate-motivated incidents and
trends and to provide recommendations and assistance to participating
States, upon their request, in areas where more adequate responses are
needed"[1].
�Why is it important?
- To inform governments and civil society partners;
- To shape and provide input for the ODIHR policy.
� How is it developed?
- A comprehensive consultation process with governments and civil
society;
- Call to the nominated National Points of Contact on Combating Hate
Crime, to non-governmental organizations and to OSCE institutions and
field operations to submit information for the annual report. (The
requested information: updates on legislative developments, data on hate
crimes and incidents);
- Based on the information collected, the ODIHR prepares a preliminary
draft;
- Consultation with and feedback from the National Points of Contact on
Combating Hate Crime, non-governmental organizations and OSCE
institutions and field operations;
- Incorporation of comments and final proofreading;
- Presentation at the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting.
� ODIHR Working Definition of Hate Crime
A) Any criminal offence, including offences against persons or property,
where the victim, premises, or target of the offence are selected
because of their real or perceived connection, attachment, affiliation,
support, or membership with a group as defined in Part B.
B) A group may be based upon a characteristic common to its members,
such as real or perceived 'race', national or ethnic origin, language,
colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual
orientation, or other similar factor.
Note: This working definition takes national differences into account,
such as differences in legislation, resources, approach, and needs, and
thus allows each state to amend the definition as it sees fit.
� The 2008 Report - How you can contribute?
Tentative timeline:
Date Action
January -13 March 2009 Submission of information
July Call for comments/feedback
on the Initial Draft
September Presentation of the Final Draft at the
Human Dimension Implementation Meeting
[1] See OSCE Ministerial Council Decision No. 13/06, "Combating
Intolerance and Discrimination and Promoting Mutual Respect and
Understanding, Brussels, 5 December 2006,
<http://www.osce.org/documents/mcs/2006/12/22565_en.pdf>.
*** end forwarded e-mail ***
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