Saturday 8th October to Saturday 15th October 2016
On Monday 10th October Voice for All were invited to attend the Hate Crime Awareness launch on Preston Flag market. We had our very own stall alongside our friends and partners from Disability Equality NW, SAIL, React, Safety in Town and many others.
The day was spent getting our messages across about ‘Speaking out’ and putting a stop to Hate Crime.
Hate crimes are any crimes that are targeted at a person because of hostility or prejudice towards that person’s:
disability
race or ethnicity
religion or belief
sexual orientation
transgender identity
This can be committed against a person or property and anyone could be a victim of a hate crime.
Hate crimes and incidents hurt; they can be confusing and frightening. By reporting them when they happen to you, you may be able to prevent these incidents from happening to someone else. You will also help the police understand the extent of hate crime in your local area so they can better respond to it.
Reporting makes a difference – to you, your friends, and your life. All hate crimes and incidents should be reported, whether you have been a victim, a witness or you are reporting on behalf of someone else. These incidents may include verbal abuse, physical assault, domestic abuse, harassment and damage to property.
If a person is bullied as a result of their disability, race, religion, sexual orientation or transgender identity, this is also dealt with either as a hate crime or non-crime hate incident. Bullying could include name-calling, being spat at or kicked, or having your things taken or damaged.
We want to raise people’s awareness of Hate Crimes and Hate Incidents and encourage people to report it! So many crimes go unreported.
Our message of the day was;
“If you experience it, if you witness it, REPORT IT!” Together we can stop Hate Crime!
Voice for All met lots of members of the public. We shared our information as well as our own Hate Crime experiences and stories. The event was attended by many organisations including self-advocacy and advocacy groups, Dance Syndrome, various Hate Crime Reporting Centres, Lancashire Police and Commissioners, Lancashire County Councillors and local press and television.
Becky Gammon, the vice chair of Voice for All, spoke out about her own experiences of Hate Crime and was featured on the local TV news channel ‘That’s Lancashire – That’s TV’ (Freeview Channel 7)
You can see the news reel featuring Becky by following this link.
It is only by raising awareness and by speaking out that we have any chance of putting an end to Hate Crime.
A huge thank you to Lizzie, Melissa, Becky, Craig and Sandra for their much appreciated and valued support and contribution on the day!