Disability hate crime research reports
Reports and resources on disability hate crime
EHRC – Tackling disability-related harassment: Final progress report 2017
August 2017
In 2011, following a two-year inquiry, the Equality and Human Rights Commission produced a series of recommendations on what public authorities and public transport operators should do to help prevent and deal with disability hate crime.
Four years after the publication of the last progress report in 2013, ‘Tackling disability-related harassment: Final progress report 2017’ formally concludes the Commission’s review. It outlines the actions and initiatives taken to implement theirrecommendations, and what the EHRC will be doing as part of their hate crime strategy.
Download:
Tackling disability-related harassment: Final progress report 2017 (PDF)
Tackling disability-related harassment: Final progress report 2017 (Word)
Easy Read – Tackling disability-related harassment: Final progress report 2017 (PDF)
British Sign Language (BSL) video of the report.
Hate Crime against disabled people report
Disabled People are regularly the targets of hate crimes. These crimes remain widely unknown, hidden and misunderstood. Recognising the magnitude of the problem is the first step in effectively countering these hate crimes. This factsheet provides information on how to recognize and report hate crimes against Disabled people. This is the first publication in a series that highlights how hate crime affects different groups.
The report was published by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and is available to download at: http://www.osce.org/odihr/hate-crime-against-people-with-disabilities
Online disablist hate speech and a welfare rhetoric on ‘Reddit’
February 2017
Dissertation submitted for the Degree of Masters in Disability Studies by Leah Burch
Often unrecognised for its harms, disablist hate speech has become a cultural discourse. Persistently positioned at the centre of a welfare rhetoric and financial inequality, disabled people have become the scapegoat of austerity.
Based on this context, this research employs critical discourse analysis in order to delineate how a socialised welfare rhetoric results in the expression of disablist hate speech in the online domain.
In order to assess the internet as a facilitator of disablist hate speech, the online bulletin board, ‘Reddit’ is the chosen site of analysis.
Findings highlight both implicit and explicit examples of disablist hate speech, both of which appeal to economic assumptions of disability that are reinforced within a welfare rhetoric.
Download the dissertation: ‘All parasites should perish’: Online disablist hate speech and a welfare rhetoric on ‘Reddit’
Preventing Hate Crime report – recommends equality across hate crime law
October 2016
One of the recommendations in this report proposes that all strands in hate crime are treated equally under the law:
- We recommend (tentatively) that legislators should start from the position that all strands of hate crime be treated equally under hate crime statutes…
Although we find the ‘tentatively’ aspect of the recommendation disappointing. However, there are other recommendations which Inclusion London supports, such as:
- On-going police training on identifying hate crimes and dealing with the needs of victims is required;
- Multi-agency partnerships should be developed/maintained in order to provide a more holistic approach to identifying hate crimes.
- Further training should be given to police officers and other criminal justice agencies on correctly flagging hate crimes on crime reporting systems.
The recommendations are contained in ‘Preventing Hate Crime – Emerging practices and recommendations for the improved management of criminal justice interventions’ report, published the by University of Sussex Crime Research Centre and the International Network for Hate Studies, in October 2016.
The report is available at: https://www.sussex.ac.uk/webteam/gateway/file.php?name=preventing-hate-crime-final-report.pdf&site=539
‘Making it Stop Tackling Hate Crime against Deaf and Disabled people in Merton‘
August 2016
Merton CIL have produced a detailed report on the scale of Disability Hate Crime in Merton in partnership with Stay Safe East.
Download the report ‘Making it Stop Tackling Hate Crime against Deaf and Disabled people in Merton’
Rise in disability hate crime prosecutions
July 2016
Disabled people at increased risk of violent crime, Victim Support research reveals
Disabled people at increased risk of violent crime
Most just stand by after witnessing hate crimes, says survey
According to the survey, 15 per cent of people have witnessed at least one disability-related hate crime or hate incident in the last year, while more than two-thirds of those who witnessed a hate crime or incident regretted not challenging it.
Most just stand by after witnessing hate crimes
15% of British public witnessed hate against Disabled people in the last year
15% of people have witnessed at least one hate crime or hate incident against disabled people in the last year, according to research released by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust on 27 January, Holocaust Memorial Day.
15 percent witnessed hate crime
Factsheet: Disability hate crime and the media’s portrayal of Disabled people
This document contains facts and information on disability hate crime and the portrayal of Disabled people in the media, which was first published in June 2014.
factsheet disability hate crime and the medias portrayal of disabled people
Inclusion London’s response to the consultation on Hate Crime:
The Case for Extending the Existing Offences
September 2013
Hidden in plain sight
‘Hidden in plain sight’ is the final report of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s inquiry into disability hate crime. The report uncovers that harassment is a commonplace experience for disabled people, but a culture of disbelief and systemic institutional failures are preventing it from being tackled effectively.
View BSL versions of the report
Hidden in plain sight – full report
Hidden in plain sight – executive summary
Scotland: Hidden in plain sight executive summary
Wales Hidden in plain sight; executive summary
Tackling disability-related harassment: A manifesto for change
In September 2011, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) concluded the formal part of the inquiry when it published the report Hidden in plain sight. This report highlighted systemic failures by organisations in preventing disability-related harassment and in tackling it effectively when it happens, and gave draft recommendations for action.
In this follow-up report to Hidden in plain sight, the EHRC summarise a wide range of formal responses from relevant organisations and set out their final recommendations.
Download Out in the open – tackling disability-related harassment: A manifesto for change
Download Out in the open a manifesto for change, Stopping harassment of disabled people (easy read)
View a BSL summary of Out in the open: a manifesto for change.
Download Manifesto for Change : Progress Report 2013
Bad news for Disabled people
Inclusion London commissioned Glasgow University to carry out research in 2011 on the media portrayal of Disabled people. The research analysed 2,276 print articles in a variety of tabloid and broadsheet newspapers and also analysed findings from focus groups set up as part of the research. The research was published in the ‘Bad news for disabled people’ report, which is available to download at:
and Word version Bad news for Disabled People. Word
Katherine Quarmby’s book Scapegoat: Why We Are Failing Disabled People
Katherine Quarmby says, “This book is the story of how I investigated disability hate crime, why it exists and what its roots are. The story is not only an emotional journey, for all of those families and friends of disabled people who have experienced such terrible crimes. It is also a physical journey around England, to the places where disabled people have been targeted, attacked and murdered. More information about the book is available at: http://katharinequarmby.co.uk/pages/scapegoat.htm
Hidden Hate – Disability Hate Crime
Report on Disability Hate Crime in London, including results and case studies from a survey of “131 London-based Disabled people and their paid and parent carers” on recent experiences in dealing with disability hate crime.
Hidden Hate – Disability Hate Crime (2014)
Equality and Human Rights Commission Report: Crime and disabled people
Baseline statistical analysis of measures from the formal legal inquiry into disability-related harassment
EHRC Statistical Update on Disability Hate Crime (2013)
Living in Fear: Better outcomes for people with learning disabilities and autism
A report into disability hate crime experienced by people with learning difficulties and autism.
Living in Fear – Main Research Report
Living in a different world a joint review of disability hate crime, March 2013
A joint review of disability hate crime by the police, probation and Crown Prosecution service inspectorates. The review revealed problems in the detection and recording of crimes targeted against Disabled people. The report is available at:
A joint review of disability hate crime follow up report published in May 2015 by the police, probation and Crown Prosecution service inspectorates. The report says, ‘..neither the police nor the CPS has succeeded in significantly improving performance at an operational level’. The report is available at: http://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmic/wp-content/uploads/joint-review-of-disability-hate-crime-review.pdf