Combating Hate Crime

LCHR in collaboration with Czech Helsinki Committee implements a project „Combating Hate Crime in Latvia and the Czech Republic: Legislation, Police Practice and the Role of NGOs” addressing the issue of ineffective policing of hate crime in Latvia and the Czech Republic.

The project is funded by the European Community grant scheme “2005 Actions in support of civil society in the Member States which acceded to the EU on 1st May 2004”.

Project duration: 21 December 2006 – 20 December 2008.

The project of 24 months includes activities aimed at analysis of the existing situation both in practice and legally, including shortcomings and obstacles to effective policing of these crimes. Issues to be addressed include the actual situation, law enforcement handling of hate crime from identifying, reporting, data collection to investigation and prosecution of such crimes.

The objective of the project is to increase knowledge and capacity of law enforcement bodies in the two countries to address hate crime, as well as to establish criteria and tools for effective policing of hate crimes within the existing legislative framework.

The planned activities of the project:

1. two national papers (one per country) on the situation regarding hate crime and law enforcement, including analysis of police and judiciary practice and legislation, taking into account best practice examples from other EU countries;

2. two national papers (one per country) focussing on victims of hate crime, the situation of victims as well as the effect of experiencing hate crime;

3. final report providing an in-depth analysis of the situation and developments within the two countries;

4. two five-day study trips with six team members;

5. two national seminars and two international conferences related to the paper topics;

6. establish contextually appropriate criteria and methods for identifying, recording, collecting data and investigating hate crime by law enforcement.

Oпубликованный: 2007-01-21