Description
The project addresses the problem of bias-motivated crimes against ethnic and national minorities, as well as LGBT. It provides support for victims of such crimes (legal aid, monitoring of legal proceedings) and delivers training to non-governmental organisations aimed at increasing their potential to deal with bias-motivated crimes. Together with the coalition of NGOs, the project promoter and its partner will also carry out advocacy activities to impact public policies in the field of combating bias-motivated crimes. The project is implemented in partnership with Lambda Warsaw Association, one of the leading LGBT organisations in Poland. As a result of the cooperation, both partners will gain more expertise in working with people of different ethnicities and nationalities, as well as LGBT persons. The partners will identify underlying factors of the phenomenon of bias-motivated crimes and share their experiences in providing legal support to victims of such crimes.
Summary of project results
"According to research findings and analyses, representatives of ethnic or national minorities and LGBT persons are particularly vulnerable to prejudice-based crime (the scale of which is alarmingly high) in Poland. Furthermore, research has proven that cases of prejudice-based behaviour in Poland are frequent in comparison with respective European statistics. This gives rise to concern with regard to the safety of persons of different skin colour and sexual orientation. Legislative change would be required to improve the situation of these communities, which in turn entails co-ordinated advocacy activities (i.e. making homophobic crime part of the Criminal Code). Regrettably, such action is taken sporadically, rendering it ineffective. The project purpose was to provide support to victims, and to improve the co-ordinated advocacy potential of non-governmental organisations active in preventing hate crime. The project yielded improved competencies of participant organisations in terms of advocacy and efforts to change legislation; direct support was provided to victims of hate crime based on skin colour, origin, or sexual orientation. The project comprised 8 meetings of the Coalition Against Prejudice-Based Crime, each with a workshop component. The Coalition drafted standards of providing assistance to victims, a court case monitoring questionnaire, and an equality glossary. Both organisations managing the project provided direct legal aid to individuals vulnerable or already exposed to hate crime. Five court trials were monitored. Project-related experience was discussed during a project summary seminar, attended by non-governmental organisations, representatives of public services, and the Deputy Ombudsman. A publication on preventing prejudice-based crime was drafted. An organisation specialising in LGBT rights was the project partner, responsible for joint co-ordination of Coalition works and providing legal assistance to non-heterosexual persons exposed to prejudice-based crime. Project beneficiaries included 10 organisations forming part of the Coalition, 70 legal aid clients, and 54 participants of the summary seminar."
Summary of bilateral results