Action on Prejudice will offer resources on challenging discrimination and allow young people to report crimes anonymously
A new national portal has been launched to tackle hate crime in Scotland.
Action on Prejudice is a virtual one-stop shop for young people and those who work with youngsters to find facts, videos, research, learning tools and other resources which focused on challenging discrimination and hate crime as well as promoting diversity and inclusion.
The portal – which was launched this week by YouthLink Scotland - is the first website in Scotland to provide resources across all protected characteristics including prejudice related to race, sexuality, gender identity, disabilities and religion.
Nadia Freeman, senior development officer for the Action on Prejudice project said: “What young people really want is to understand what prejudice and discrimination is and to know how they can respond. This is why the portal not only shares resources but also provides information about where people can get help, events and relevant groups that young people can become involved in.”
The portal has been launched in response recent police statistics which show there were 900 cases of hate crime involving 11-15-year olds in 2016.
Constable Sacha Ponniah, of Police Scotland’s equality and diversity unit, said there is a clear need to inform young people about hate crime.
She said: “The portal has information on what to do if you have witnessed or been the victim of hate crime and ways to report. This includes third party reporting, which enables victims/witnesses to report hate crimes (non-emergencies) without contacting the police directly and anonymously.”
Pamela Graham of the anti-bullying charity, respectme, believes prejudice has to be challenged wherever it occurs.
“To help children and young people to develop the respectful relationships that prevent bullying behaviour, we need to create environments where diversity is celebrated and valued, and name calling and comments based on prejudice are challenged,” she said.
“Knowledge is crucial to help bring about social change, and I hope the Action on Prejudice portal will help provide children, young people as well as practitioners with the information and resources they need.”
