To ensure an effective response to hate crime and meaningful access to justice for victims, there is an ever more urgent need to develop systematic and long-term training programmes for police and prosecutors across the OSCE region that also involve targeted communities, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today on launching its annual hate crime report on the occasion of the International Day for Tolerance.
"Hate crime has a devastating effect not just on individual victims, but on entire communities. Training is at the heart of an effective hate crime response," said ODIHR Director Maria Telalian. "Every police officer, prosecutor and judge needs the tools and skills to recognize hate crimes, protect victims, and bring perpetrators to justice. ODIHR has seen first-hand how training can positively transform the criminal justice response to hate crime and repair the harm suffered by victims and their communities."
While many OSCE states have established national training programmes, including comprehensive hate crime training initiatives for law enforcement, many still fail to provide even foundational training for prosecutors or judges. In particular, this year's hate crime report finds that national initiatives too often remain ad hoc in nature and limited in reach. Embedding hate crime training into police academies and judicial schools and maintaining levels of knowledge through refresher courses is essential to ensuring long-term impact.
For the last 20 years, ODIHR has addressed these challenges by delivering its hate crime training programmes to approximately 700 national police trainers and more than 200 national prosecutor trainers across the OSCE region. To ensure the broadest reach of its hate crime training programmes, the Office will soon publish the full package of adaptable, interactive and hands-on training materials on its website .
ODIHR's experience shows how the impact of training programmes is deepened when the communities affected by hate crime are engaged in developing and delivering the training. When police and prosecutors listen to and work with targeted groups, it strengthens trust, encourages victims to report, and improves co-operation - all key to effectively investigating and prosecuting hate crimes.
The Office's dedicated hate crime website
