Justice without difference

Description

Hate violence in the Czech Republic is on the rise. The Victims´Directive has been implemented in the Czech Republic through Victims´ Rights Act in August 2013 which recognizes hate crime victims as victims of specific vulnerability and with special needs. So far, people exposed to bias violence lack both recognition and appropriate assistance. The project aims to improve their situation through three main activities – training of social workers, awareness raising and targeted assistance. We will develop training for social workers and train 200 of them in hate violence specifics and victims ‘rights. We will analyse the Victims' Rights act and its impact on hate crime victims’ rights. We will introduce the analysis and recommendation to the Ministries, the Police, local authorities and legal and social professionals and turn their attention towards specifics and needs of victims of bias violence. We also will assist 20 clients in criminal and civil proceedings and help them to access justice.

Summary of project results

The aim of the project was to strengthen the rights of hate crime victims in the Czech Republic. The goals of the project were achieved by three interrelated key activities: providing support to specific individuals threatened by hate violence through social and law counselling, providing the skills and knowledge to social workers, who are first in the contact with the victims, and by increasing visibility of the hate crime victim needs, which are frequently not taken into account. The planned results, socially significant outputs, were achieved by bellow described activities. The victims of hate crime were provided with social counselling. Specifically, 25 clients were provided with 163 consultations; 33 clients were provided law information through 449 consultations; 33 clients were represented by In IUSTITIA in criminal proceedings. The complimentary services for the clients were provided in the whole Czech Republic. Furthermore, the information for the hate crime victims (8 different kinds of publications) were published on the web page www.matesvaprava.cz. In addition to the counselling, the project was aimed at building up and strengthening competences of the social workers. To achieve this goal, 20 accredited workshops and follow-up supervision meetings were attended by 239 people. The competences were also strengthened by e-learning, consultations (72 social workers were provided 115 consultations), and by publishing and providing publications. The needs of the hate crime victims were presented to the public and to the actors, who are able to implement the right of the increased protection for the hate crime victims. To achieve this goal, we organized workshop in the Senate of Czech Republic to present expert analysis on legislative and to present practical recommendations drawn from the analysis. Notably, in 2015, Ministry of Justice proposed amendment to the Law of victims of the crime. In result, the victims of the hate crime will be considered as particularly vulnerable victims.

Summary of bilateral results