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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 1:44 am
Time: 1:44 am
Results for hate crime (latvia) (czech republic)
1 results foundAuthor: Oakley, Robin Title: Combating Hate Crime in Lativa and The Czech Republic: A Comparative Assessment Summary: This paper has been prepared within the framework of the EU-funded project “Combating Hate Crime in Latvia and the Czech Republic: Legislation, Police Practice and the Role of NGOs”, which has been carried out during the period 2006–2008 by the Latvian Centre for Human Rights together with its partner the Czech Helsinki Committee. The main focus of the project has been to address the issue of ineffective policing of hate crime in the two countries. In addition the project has also focused on issues relating to legislation and its implementation, and on the victim’s perspective and the impact on communities. Through developing cooperation between police and NGOs at both national and international levels, and by involvement of international experts in seminars and conferences, the project has aimed to enhance awareness and understanding, as well as elaborating practical tools and methods for more effective policing of hate crime in the two countries. After briefly setting the European context, the paper characterises and compares the state of development in each country, and then describes and assesses the contribution made by the project. Finally the paper draws out the lessons learned, and makes recommendations for follow-up activities both at national and European levels. Key lessons learned include (a) the need for legislation to effectively address other hate crime motives in addition to racism, (b) the need for clear directives and procedures for policing and record-keeping, (c) the need for greater awareness of the victim perspective, (d) the importance of inter-agency cooperation (especially between police, prosecutors and courts), and (e) the importance of preventive activities. Despite the fact that the Czech Republic already has a well-established specialist policing response for tackling “extremist” crime, much more needs to be done in the above fields in both countries. So far as methodology is concerned, the project highlights the key role that NGOs can play in helping to develop the response of the police and other public authorities in responding to hate crime. NGOs can do this not only by monitoring and challenging the performance of the authorities, but also by cooperating with them in a constructive way to help them improve their response, both by raising their knowledge and awareness and by building bridges between them and victims and their communities. Establishing successful relationships between NGOs and the police and other authorities is not always easy and is dependent on mutual respect, understanding and trust. Such relationships need to be built up over time on a basis of sustained practical cooperation. Finally, as regards the implications for the EU, the paper highlights the relevance of the project for current EU policies on combating racism and wider forms of discrimination and social exclusion. Specifically, the project offers a methodology and model of operation that could be used more widely across the EU to promote good practice in combating hate crime through cooperation between police and NGOs. It is therefore recommended that measures should be introduced at EU level to enable the methodology adopted in this project to be applied in other countries across the EU, preferably in the form of a systematic targeted EU-funded programme. The key features of such a programme should be that in each country it should be NGOled, that it should have the focus of implementing EU policy commitments relating to racist and other forms of hate crime, and that national-level activities should be complemented by international exchange of experience. Details: Latvian Centre for Human Rights, 2008. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 23, 2012 at http://www.humanrights.org.lv/upload_file/anglu.pdf Year: 2008 Country: Europe URL: http://www.humanrights.org.lv/upload_file/anglu.pdf Shelf Number: 124726 Keywords: Comparative StudiesCrime PreventionHate Crime (Latvia) (Czech Republic) |