Homophobia and Discrimination on

<strong>Homophobia</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Discrimination</strong> on Grounds of Sexual Orientation <strong>and</strong> Gender Identity in the EU Member States
48
concern whereas 30 per cent report that public authorities consider such incidents as
having little or no relevance.
The lack of reporting contributes to the difficulties in assessing the extent <strong>and</strong> character
of assaults throughout the EU, as official statistics <strong>and</strong> case law often do not exist.
Several public authorities stated during fieldwork interviews that administrative tools to
report hate crimes are underdeveloped <strong>and</strong> difficult to use. 96 Interviews with LGBT
NGOs, National Equality Bodies <strong>and</strong> public authorities in most Member States suggest
that the police are poorly trained in dealing with hate crime <strong>and</strong> lack the necessary
reporting tools.
Good practice: Police registration of hate crimes: In the spring of 2007 in Sweden the
Stockholm police started a ‘hate crime unit’. Several police authorities improved their
reporting procedures by incorporating in their incident recording procedure a 'pop-upwindow'
that appears on the screen when specific key words, like 'gay' or 'immigrant' are
typed in a report; the reporting officer must then complete further information in order to
identify the incident, meaning that the victim or the informant should be further probed.
Several police authorities have assigned officers with specific responsibility for hate
crimes. Additionally, up to 20 prosecutors in Sweden specialise in dealing with hate
crime, one in each jurisdiction. 97
Good practice: Anonymous reporting of hate crime: Fieldwork research revealed that in
the Netherl<strong>and</strong>s, a pilot project has been initiated where hate crimes can be reported
anonymously on the Internet so that information can be collected, even if victims don’t
want to report to the police directly. 98 Similarly, in Denmark, the Municipality of
Copenhagen established a website for anonymous reporting of hate incidents. 99 In
Slovenia, the LGBT NGO Legebitra has initiated the program, Povej naprej! (Activate!) to
facilitate reporting of hate crimes <strong>and</strong> incidents of discrimination against LGBT persons
by interviewing victims anonymously. 100
Good practice: Training <strong>and</strong> information material: In France, a 'Victim’s Guide' to hate
crime <strong>and</strong> discrimination was developed by a partnership of private enterprises, police
unions <strong>and</strong> gay <strong>and</strong> lesbian associations. According to fieldwork interviews, the National
Gendarmerie in France has included since 2006, awareness-raising modules on
homosexuality <strong>and</strong> homophobia in its educational curricula. 101 Fieldwork interviews
96 Fieldwork meetings with Brottsförebygg<strong>and</strong>erådet <strong>and</strong> Integrations- och Jämställdhetsdepartementet,
Enheten för diskrimineringsfrågar (Sweden, 6 March 2008), <strong>and</strong> Office of National Statistics (UK, 1 April
2008)
97 Sweden, country report
98 Fieldwork meeting with the Commission for Equal Treatment (The Netherl<strong>and</strong>s, 1 April)
99 See http://www.registrerdiskrimination.kk.dk/?sc_lang=en (17.10.2008)
100 See http://www.drustvo-legebitra.si/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=148&Itemid=0
(17.10.2008)
101 Fieldwork meeting with Inter-LGBT <strong>and</strong> L'Autre Cercle, (France, 10 March 2008)