Disability
In 2011, the Equality and Human Rights Commission( EHRC) published the results of its inquiry investigating national incidents of disability related harassment. Key findings to be aware of include:
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Disabled people in all age groups are more likely than non-disabled people to have experienced a harassment related crime in the last twelve months.
� Among disabled young people( 16 – 24), 42 % were victims of crime over the past 12 months compared to 33 % of non-disabled people of the same age.
The 2011 NUS hate crime disability report 123 found that:
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8 % respondents who considered themselves to have a health condition, disability or illness had experienced at least one hate incident while studying at their current institutions, which they believe was motivated by prejudice against their disability.
� Verbal abuse was the most common form of hate incident reported in the survey. �
Students who experienced disability hate incidents were more likely to be repeatedly victimised than those who experienced non-bias motivated incidents.
In guiding universities’ approach to preventing and tackling hate crime affecting university students, the ECU recommends that the Taskforce take into account the recommendations made by the NUS in their series of hate crime reports, which categorise action to be taken into three areas. These are outlined below and support the areas of focus identified by the Taskforce and set out in chapter 3.
1) Prevention a. demonstrate a firm commitment to equality and diversity b. develop preventative and educational activity on prejudice and hate c. stop or mitigate against perpetrator behaviour d. establish multi-agency, joined up approaches to tackling hate
2) Support a. strengthen existing support services b. establish strong support networks
3) Reporting
a. encourage reporting and maintain systematic documentation and data collection of hate incidents
b. provide flexible options for reporting c. promote greater confidence in reporting mechanisms
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NUS, No place for hate: disability( 2011).
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