Hate crime conference
Victim Support Scotland hosted its Hate Crime Conference last month with thought-provoking speakers providing different views on the causes, impact and solutions of hate crime.
We were delighted to hear from Lord Bracadale QC, who is currently leading the Scottish Government Hate Crime Legislation Review. He was joined by Patrick Harvie – Scottish Green Party Leader, Rania Hamad – Senior Practitioner in Criminal Justice Social Work at Edinburgh Council, Aamer Anwar – Human Rights Lawyer and Rector of The University of Glasgow, Dr Karla Perez Portilla, who worked on the Alliance of Regional Equality Council’s report, “Why Me?”, and Project Manager Carol Burt and PC Stephanie Rose highlighting the success of “I am Me“.
Short excerpts from the conference can be found below:
Dr Karla Perez Portilla discusses the often ignored psychological impact on hate crime victims and argues the need for a public health perspective to support victims effectively.
Scottish lawyer Aamer Anwar describes his own experiences of online abuse and makes a case to include online abuse in hate crime legislation.
Dr Karla Perez Portilla discusses the role of power, in its various forms, in influencing hate crime and highlights what bystanders can do to stop hate crime happening while supporting victims.
More information on hate crime and the VSS’ call for a victim-centred approach to tackling hate crime can be found on our policy page.
You can access the speaker presentations from the Hate Crime Conference, too.
Should you want to add your views to Lord Bracadale’s Hate Crime Legislation Review, the deadline is 23 November, 2017.
