Hate Crime --- Key Findings ---

1. Hate Crime--- Key Findings --- NUS Disabled Students’ Campaign NUS lead- Robert Holland Research & Policy Officer (Liberation) Robert.holland@nus.org.uk

2. Two reports NUS Disability Hate Crime Report • The report is one of 4 looking at hate incidents motivated by bias towards students’ protected characteristics. The other reports focus on LGBT, religion and belief and race and ethnicity. • Almost 10,000 students responded to the survey. • The report will be published in November. Equality and Human Rights Commission report • The EHRC has published in September 2011 ‘Hidden in plain sight.’ This looks at disability hate crime within society as a whole. It does not focus on students. • Available on their website www.equalityhumanrights.com

3. “Hidden in Plain Sight” • For many disabled people, harassment is a commonplace occurrence, that many come to accept as inevitable. • Reporting is low • People feel they won’t be believed • Fear repercussions • “culture of disbelief”

4. Responses to hate crime • Often there were earlier less serious incidents but no effective action taken, so harassment got worse. • Focus on changing victim’s behaviour, not perpetrators. • Failure to share information • Disability rarely taken into account as a motivating factor- so given low priority

5. EHRC recommendations • 7 recommendations to address “serious, systemic organisational failures” • Need for social and cultural change about how disabled people are viewed, valued and included in society

6. NUS Hate Crime report • 8% of respondents disabled respondents reported a disability-related hate incident. • Verbal abuse was the most common form of victimisation. • Those with physical disabilities were more likely to experience disability-related hate incidences • 24% of people with physical disabilities • 15% of people with sensory impairments

7. Fears of abuse • 33% of respondents with a physical impairment and 27% with a sensory impairment were ‘fairly worried’ about being subject to abuse. • victims change their behaviour and daily patterns as a result of incidents “I will often attempt to walk about without my walking aids (crutches, walking stick) because of the stares and comments made… I have in the past had people kick my walking aids out of the way as a "joke".

8. Location and perpetrator profile • Large proportion of incidents occurred at the place of study. • In 56% of incidents, the perpetrator(s) was known to be a student. • Of these, 85% were reported to be students at the victim’s college or university

9. Reporting • 21% reported hate related incidents to their institution • Only 12% reported hate related incidents to the police. • Reasons for not reporting: • the police could not or would not do anything • the victim considered the incident not serious enough to warrant the attention of the police • Felt ashamed, embarrassed or that it was their ‘fault’ • Concerns over safety ‘There is no way I could have remained anonymous’

10. Impact • In 49% of incidents, the victim reported resultant mental health problems. • 27% reported how it adversely affected their studies • 25% reported how it affected social acceptance into other groups. ‘I feel so demoralized. It has been a real battle for me to carry on but I am too ashamed to confide in old friends so I have become isolated.