Back Increasing the capacities of Ukrainian police officers to handle hate crimes affecting LGBTI people

Increasing the capacities of Ukrainian police officers to handle hate crimes affecting LGBTI people

On 21 and 22 July and on 29 and 30 July 2021, 28 police officers increased their knowledge about LGBTI groups and their skills on how to handle hate crimes affecting LGBTI people, thanks to two training courses organised by the regional EU-Council of Europe project on “Strengthening access to justice for victims of discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes”, with the contribution of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and the Ukrainian NGO Fulcrum.

The two training courses were based on the Council of Europe manual “Policing hate crimes against LGBTI people”, which has been recently adapted for Ukraine.

15 Police inspectors of different ranks from the Main Department of National Police from different regions took part in the first training course on 21 and 22 July and 13 investigators and senior investigators of different ranks from the Criminal Investigation Department of National Police from different regions took part in the second training on 29 and 30 July. The training courses aimed at providing participants with the necessary skills to detect, classify and investigate hate crimes against LGBTI people to ensure the legal protection of victims and to apply the national legislation on hate crimes, as well as international human rights standards.

Participants highly appreciated the training, which clarified for them first and foremost the terminology and the issues that LGBTI people face in Ukraine, as well as their practical skills when handling hate crimes.

Another training course for patrol police is scheduled for autumn 2021.

These activities are organised in the framework of the project “Strengthening access to justice for victims of discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes in the Eastern Partnership”, funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe in their Partnership for Good Governance II.

Ukraine 10 August
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Strasbourg, France Strasbourg, 1-2 July 2024
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Addressing hate speech and hate crime: regional gathering of the network of Equality Bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership Region

A two-day workshop on addressing hate speech and hate crime took place at the premises of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, involving Equality bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership regions.  The event supported by the EU and Council of Europe, gathered 50 representatives from both regions who discussed and exchanged on the best practices, measures and common challenges when addressing hate speech and hate crime. Through monitoring and reporting, policy advocacy, raising awareness and supporting victims equality bodies play a fundamental role in protecting human rights and ensuring that all individuals are treated equally.

In her opening remarks, Angela Longo, Head of Anti-discrimination Co-operation Unit, Council of Europe, underlined the significant progress in engaging with Equality Bodies through this network, regularly exchanging best practices and addressing the challenges of hatred and intolerance in societies. She highlighted that this new chapter of discussion delves into the grey area between hate speech and hate crime, addressing issues of incitement and biases,

Representatives from Equality Bodies had the opportunity to discuss and enhance their knowledge on the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers Recommendation to member States on combating hate crime, adopted on 7th May 2024, as well as gain a clearer understanding of EU standards in the field of hate crime. Moreover, participants engaged in exchanges with peers from the Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia (OBERAXE), who shared insights on addressing hate speech in the public discourse. The National Office Against Racial Discrimination (UNAR) in Italy provided practical examples for developing counter-narratives and raising awareness initiatives.

They also explored opportunities to advocate for legislative reform, foster multisectoral co-operation, enhance data collection, and overall improve national mechanisms to counter hate crimes.

This seminar was organised within the action “Promoting equality and combating racism and intolerance in the Western Balkans” and the project “Promoting equality and non-discrimination: towards more resilient and inclusive societies” – co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe  under the joint Programmes “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” and “Partnership for Good Governance”.

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