A new programme aims to help LGBTI Scots report more of the hate crimes they experience
A new program aims to increase reporting of hate crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people.
The project, run by the Equality Network, wants to increase support for those affected by hate crime and in turn encourage more confidence for victims to report incidents to the police.
The initiative will add Scotland to the National LGBT Hate Crime Partnership which brings together 35 LGBT organisations from across the UK.
Its launch coincides with Hate Crime Awareness Week, a time where campaigners highlight that fact LGBTI people still experience prejudice, abuse or serious assault as a result of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Scott Cuthbertson from the Equality Network said: “Nobody should live in fear because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics, but we know that lots of people still do.
There shouldn’t be any barriers, perceived or otherwise, to reporting a hate crime
“That's why we want this project to let LGBTI people living in Scotland know that the law is there to protect them.
“We are looking forward to working with Police Scotland, the Crown Office and other criminal justice agencies to make sure that they support people in the best way possible if they make a report.”
In Scotland, sexual orientated aggravated crime is the second most common type of hate crime, but it is known many don't report incidents to the police.
The number of charges specific to sexual orientation aggravated crime reported has risen each year since hate crime legislation came into effect in March 2010. It now stands at 890 incidents in 2013-14.
While reporting by transgender people remains low, this is thought to be due to massive under-reporting.
The project will support people to recognise when they have experienced a hate crime, encourage them to report it to the police and signpost them to any help they need, the Equality Network said.
A recent report by the organisation found that almost half of respondents had experienced or witnessed an incident of prejudice or discrimination in the past month, rising to 79% within the past year and 97% within their lifetimes.
Cuthbertson added: “There shouldn’t be any barriers, perceived or otherwise, to reporting a hate crime. We hope that by working with our partners we can encourage more people to recognise a hate crime, report it to the police, and get the support they are entitled to.”
