Challenging Hate Crime - Developing Local Solutions informed by International Learning

Northern Ireland is emerging from almost 40 years of conflict and it is only now that the issue of hate crime is being seriously addressed by society in general and government bodies as well as communities in particular. Whilst the conflict may have masked the incidents of hate crime it is now beginning to be recorded. Whilst the region experiences race, religious, homophobic, disablist and transgender hate crime the issue that most have difficulty with is that of sectarian hate crime. The project is currently developing a model of intervention with those perpetrators of hate crime and at the same time is seeking to inform and influence policy makers and legislators within and beyond the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland. Of key importance is the development of a discourse with political representatives with a view to arriving at a consensus as to what constitutes hate crime and how it can be addressed and reduced. The presentation will focus on developments to date and will make links with the learning from Germany and beyond.