September 2011

Monthly Bulletin Disability Hate Crime edition

Dear Members, Welcome to this special edition of the ecdp email bulletin. This week, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) published the final report on their inquiry into disability-related harassment. The report, called Hidden in Plain Sight, has been compiled following months of work to understand the complex issues around disability-related harassment. The name of the report alludes to the culture of disbelief that EHRC believe exists around the harassment of disabled people; indeed the Guardian reported that disabled people face harassment, insult and attack almost as a matter of routine, while a "collective denial" among police, government and other public bodies means little is done to challenge the situation. Ten high profile cases are explored in detail, with an examination of the roles of a number of bodies involved in each case. Many of these cases end with the death of the victim and make shocking reading. Unfortunately, many of us will be familiar with the cases because of the media attention they received, but an important finding of the report is that they represent only the tip of the iceberg. When the report goes on to look at the wider problem the scale of the issue becomes apparent. EHRC estimate that 1.9 million disabled

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Monthly Bulletin - Disability Hate Crime edition

people in Britain were victims of crime in the last year. Of course, these cases do not all end so tragically as those we have read about in the press, but they nevertheless represent a problem that has a serious impact on the everyday lives of so many disabled people. Official crime statistics do not reflect the real situation, as we discuss in this post, Hidden in Plain Sight: Disability Hate Crime and underreporting, but better reporting and recording of statistics is only part of the approach needed. The EHRCs report ends by setting out a manifesto for change, making specific recommendations for each sector with a responsibility for addressing hate crime. Following this, seven core recommendations are made. These recommendations are available on our website, here: EHRC Hidden in Plain Sight. Our members will be aware that ecdp has done a great deal of work around disability hate crime over the last year, culminating in our report, Disability Hate Crime in Essex and beyond: an ecdp report. Our recommendations make up the USER framework, calling for the following four things: Understanding there needs to be a greater understanding of disability hate crime Signposting and Support services which signpost and support disabled people when they are victims of hate crime should be widely available and well coordinated Education to ensure wider change for disabled people, we believe education work should be focused on three particular groups of stakeholders: disabled people themselves, professionals and wider society Reporting we believe stronger processes for reporting will increase the number of investigated and prosecuted cases. Perhaps unsurprisingly, some real similarities can be seen in the national picture observed by EHRC and the situation in Essex, which members told us about during our research. These similarities are discussed in an Audioboo, here: Thoughts on EHRC's seven core recommendations on disability-related harassment.
Understanding Signposting and Support Education

Report

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Monthly Bulletin - Disability Hate Crime edition

In order to implement our recommendations at a local level, ecdp are looking to appoint an individual to work with disabled people and organisations with a responsibility for addressing hate crime in Essex. In practice, this Hate Crime Officer would look at addressing the above four areas by: Increasing understanding of the complex and often misunderstood issues around disability hate crime by conducting ongoing qualitative and quantitative research with disabled people and those who work with disability hate crime. Coordinating a central and up-to-date database of services, to ensure signposting for both individuals and organisations is efficient, and continues to support people for as long as they need, rather than simply pointing them in the right direction and hoping for the best. Designing three specific educational programmes (for disabled people, professionals and wider society, with a focus on younger people) to address the ambiguity that surrounds disability hate crime and the ignorance that often fuels it. Increase reporting and successful prosecutions, by supporting individuals to report initially and complementing police procedures to make sure people receive fair access to justice throughout. EHRCs full report, a summary, a BSL version and an Easy Read version are all available on our website: Hidden in Plain Sight: EHRCs report into disability related harassment. Best wishes,

Faye If you want to get in touch with us about any of our disability hate crime work, please use the details below: Telephone: 01245 392 300 Email: info@ecdp.org.uk Post: Ivan Peck House, 1 Russell Way, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 3AA

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