Victim Support and Monitoring in Poland, Czech Republic, Ukraine and Russia

Foundation EVZ internationally advocates for people, who in the past and today fall victim to so-called hate crimes on grounds of ethnicity, skin color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and commitment for human rights.

Aim of the Program

With its program STOP HATE CRIME!, Foundation EVZ supports selected civil society initiatives counseling victims and monitoring hate crimes in Poland, Czech Republic, Russia and Ukraine. Persons affected by hate crimes shall be empowered to exercise their own rights. Furthermore, the program aims to create an overall awareness of the victims’ situation and to strengthen the international networking capacities of projects against hate crime. On the long run, STOP HATE CRIME! shall contribute to reducing the number of hate crimes in the program countries and to ensure the human rights of disadvantaged minorities.

2. International Hate Crime Conference 2011

Together with its partner organizations, Foundation EVZ organized the second international conference on hate crime in November 2011. The conference allowed organizations from all over Europe to exchange experiences and expertise, and aims at the professionalization of the funded projects.

The conference report can be downloaded here.

A panel discussion entitled “Hate Crime - A concept against racist, homophobic and antisemitic violence in Europe?” took place on 24th November 2011 as a side event to the above mentioned conference. This event provided a platform for discussing the potential and limits of the “hate crime” concept for Germany and Europe. Foundation EVZ presented its funding programme “Stop Hate Crime!”, and representatives from Poland, the Czech Republic, Ukraine and Russia reported on their projects. Before and after the event, participants had a chance to see the exhibition “Victims of Right-wing Violence in Germany after 1990”.

Transnational Cooperation

With a networking project, Foundation EVZ aims at initiating transnational cooperation of organizations, for example in the field of hate crime monitoring. A first step has already been taken by the Polish organization “Nigdy Wiecej” and “Opferperspektive Brandenburg” from Germany. Their comparative country study about hate crimes in Poland and Germany constitutes the first comprehensive cross-border-cooperation in this field.

Background

Socially marginalized groups are being attacked in almost every part of the world. The research study “Forgotten Victims” documents that Roma and homeless people are intimidated, threatened and attacked in the Czech Republic. In Ukraine, antisemitic attitudes are not only represented in the media. Monitoring data published in the country report “Hate Crime in Ukraine” suggests that attacks against Jewish institutions occur on a monthly basis.

In contrast to that, public awareness of crimes motivated by racism, antiziganism, antisemitism, homo- and transphobia is lacking in those and other countries. Persons affected by this kind of violence often suffer from poor political, legal and social recognition. Structures to support them are deficient, if not missing completely. When Foundation EVZ started developing the program STOP HATE CRIME! in 2008, it aimed at plugging these gaps of protection.

Research, Funding and Cooperation

To identify suitable organizations in the program countries, Foundation EVZ 2008-2009 initiated research projects. Their results were discussed at international conferences and published as country studies. Today Foundation EVZ funds more than ten initiatives either active in legal and psychosocial counseling of Roma, LGBT, migrants and other groups or in collecting, analyzing and publishing data on hate crimes. Among others, Foundation EVZ cooperates with the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and Open Society Fund.

Report of the 2nd
International Hate
Crime Conference