Promising Practice

Data Collection of reports on LGBTQIA+-phobic facts (violence and discrimination) in the Brussels-Capital Region

Hate crime
Un projet de collecte de données relatives aux violences et discriminations fondées sur l’orientation sexuelle et l’identité ou l’expression de genre en Bruxelles
The project encourages reporting and enhances referrals of LGBTQI hate crimes in Brussels by supports victims to share and register their stories with local CSOs, which then refer them to the police, social services and other government bodies to file formal complaints.
Country
Belgium
Guidelines
Encourage reporting
Ground of discrimination
Alternative reporting options
Cooperation with civil society and community organisations
Specialist victim support services

Promising practice :

Signalement LGBTQI+ phobie

Organisation

The Observatorium (OBPS) within Brussels Prevention & Security (BPS) and equal.brussels, the equal opportunities directorate of the Brussels Regional Public Service (SPRB), in collaboration with the RainbowHouse Brussels.

Start and end date

Start date:

1 March 2019.

End date:

Still ongoing.

Scope

Brussels-Capital Region (1.2 million inhabitants).

Target group(s)

All members of the LGBTQIA+ communities, including those whom are perceived by the perpetrators as belonging to these target groups, and/or who experience any kind of violence or discrimination on these grounds in the Brussels-Capital Region.

Funding

The Brussels-Capital Region initiated the project with its own resources (BPS and equal.brussels’ human resources). equal.brussels funds the RainbowHouse Brussels for the data collection and for publicizing the project.

Objectives

  • Collecting data about specific violence and discrimination that are at risk of not being recorded elsewhere, using a safe setting with a more easily accessible NGO in this case representatives of local LGBTQIA+ organisations.
  • Providing victims with information on available services that can help / assist them, and if needed or desired, accompany them to the relevant services.
  • Awareness raising with the victims about the importance of filing a complaint.

Outputs

  • Reporting form for the data collection through RainbowHouse Brussels.
  • Form containing basic information on existing services (police, equality bodies, victim support services) – “practical form”.
  • Poster and flyers to publicize the project.
  • Data collection on violence and discrimination testimonies (containing qualitative information regarding the facts and victims / authors’ profile.
  • Report with analysis of the data collected in relation to other sources (ongoing), including qualitative insight.

Description

According to the FRA survey, only about 20% of hate crimes are reported. According to the Crime Survey (a 2019 equal.brussels short qualitative study in the Brussels Capital-Region on the general feeling of safety and the motives for not reporting hate crimes) the most vulnerable and least visible groups within the LGBTQIA+ communities, including those suffering from intersectional discrimination, barely ever go to the police. The reasons for not reporting a crime lie in the fact that they fear not being understood or taken seriously, or getting retraumatized. Other reasons for not reporting include the assumption that it would not make a difference, and that victims are used to a certain level of violence and discrimination.

As these criminal facts are rarely reported to the police, involving an NGO that enjoys proximity and is trusted by the target audience makes it possible:

  • to offer victims a place where they are listened to and receive empathy (safe space with staff who are aware of the issues and life experiences),
  • to collect data that has not yet been collected elsewhere,
  • to access the stories and the broader context of what has happened, instead of mainly qualitative data
  • to make the victims better aware of the importance of filing an official complaint (with the possibility to use the previously completed form to avoid the repetition of statement and secondary victimization).

Critical success factors

  • Involved NGOs become committed to the project with the possibility to allocate time and staff power
  • The target audience understands that all criminal acts should be reported, including acts that may seem trivial or common practice.
  • All stakeholders are informed through the prevention and security chain about the project and its objectives in order to ensure the continuity of the victims’ care.

Actors involved in the design and implementation of the practice

Project initiative: BPS and equal.brussels, through the Global Security and Prevention Plan and the LGBTQIA+ Regional Action Plan.

Data collection: RainbowHouse Brussels (and foreseeably other associations/actors in the future).

Partners

  • for the design of the reporting form and the “practical form”: Unia, Institut pour l’Egalité des Femmes et des Hommes IGVM - IEFH (Belgian equality bodies), local police
  • for publicising the project: all regional and local administrations, services and associations.

Monitoring and evaluation

OBPS regularly monitors the number and content of the collected forms to adapt the process. OBPS and equal.brussels carry out a yearly project evaluation. The project was also included in the external evaluation of the former SOGI plan (2017-2020) and has been adapted accordingly.

Publicly available contact details

contact OBPS : OBPS@bps.brussels

contact equal.brussels: Danny Jacqmot djacqmot@gob.brussels