Combating hate crime in the EU: Giving hate crime victims a face and a voice

The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) holds its annual high level Fundamental Rights Conference in Vilnius on 12-13 November. This year’s conference focuses on ‘Combating hate crime in the EU’ and is being hosted in cooperation with the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the EU.

More information:

>> Conference live streaming >>

>> Programme >>

>> Giving victims a voice - quotes from FRA survey respondents >>

We are all different and we are all equal. So what gives one person the right to intimidate or attack another? Nothing.” says FRA Director Morten Kjaerum. “We must act now to root out all forms of hate crime. We must ensure that victims are heard, perpetrators are punished and hate crime is effectively addressed.”

The Fundamental Rights Conference, which will be streamed live, explores effective strategies to combat crimes motivated by hatred and prejudice at the national as well as EU level. Discussions will cover issues such as: existing evidence on the extent of hate crime; underreporting; gaps in monitoring and recording; legal instruments; victim support services; effective practices of investigation and prosecution; discrimination; human rights education and remembrance; capacity building for law enforcement and criminal justice systems; and the challenges of cyberhate.

The conference draws on data collected by FRA and others. This includes:

FRA’s Opinion on the Framework Decision on Racism and Xenophobia – with special attention to the rights of victims of crime (2013). The Opinion assesses the impact of the Framework Decision on the rights of the victims of crimes motivated by hatred and prejudice, including racism and xenophobia.
FRA survey on discrimination and hate crimes against Jews in eight EU Member States (2013). The survey collected data on antisemitic experiences and perceptions.
FRA survey on discrimination and victimisation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in EU Member States (2013). This survey provides evidence on a range of issues including homophobic and transphobic crime and speech.
EU-MIDIS Data in Focus 6: Minorities as victims of crime (2012). This report looks into rates of perceived bias-motivated victimisation, people’s experiences when reporting hate crimes and their rights awareness.
Making hate crime visible in the EU: Acknowledging victims’ rights (2012). This report analyses existing models and mechanisms of data collection, their merits and their flaws.

The event brings together over 350 policy makers and practitioners from the EU and its Member States, among them representatives from EU institutions and bodies, international organisations, national governments and parliaments, law enforcement, civil society and many more.

For further information and media accreditation please contact: media@fra.europa.eu

Tel.: +43 1 580 30 642