Disability hate crime
Current situation
Disability Hate Crime numbers have been consistently rising, yet we face disproportionate barriers to accessing justice when we are victimised.
Victims of Disability Hate Crime are currently being failed by the criminal justice system.
Key Evidence
Disability Hate Crime has risen by 43% in the last year and more than doubled in the last four years, yet research suggests only 1% of reports go any further.
Despite the Law Commission recommending an offence of Disability Hate Crime, no action has been taken by the Government.
Policy Asks
- Disability Hate Crime must be made a criminal offence, as recommended by the Law Commission in 2021.
Our Disability Hate Crime Charter includes specific recommendations for public services and the voluntary sector. The full charter can be found below.
The key recommendations for the charter are as follows:
- Increase funding to local services.
Both public services and third-party reporting centres / user-led service providers need increased financial support and additional resources to provide effective support to victims.
- Improve clarity of reporting routes, and increase promotion, so that victims are aware of where to go.
Improved education and raising awareness of what Disability Hate Crime is and that ableist abuse is never okay is also necessary in improving reporting and prosecution rates.
- Improve practical and emotional support to victims to enable them to pursue their cases.
- Tackle institutional ableism across all public services, especially Police forces.
This includes instigating prosecutions against police officers that are dismissed for gross misconduct against Disabled people.
- Improve data collection and transparency.
Detailed data on disability hate crime must be collected and made publicly available, and there must be greater transparency across institutions on how they are tackling the issue.
Targeted Decision Makers
Our work on the Disability Hate Crime Charter targets all services that support victims of Disability Hate Crime – from the Home Office to Housing Associations and Care Providers. For a full list of services, refer to the charter.
Partners and Allies
Our Disability Hate Crime Charter was written in collaboration with a range of partners and allies – including leading academics in the field, third-party reporting centres, DPOs, advocacy services, and institutional allies.
Some key partners include Dr David Wilkin (University of Leicester), Dr Leah Burch (Liverpool Hope University), Stay Safe East, Inclusion London, Innovation Society, Diversity Matters and Disability Equality North West – but this is not an exhaustive list. We are also working to include more grassroots DPOs in our work in this area.
Campaign Action
The Disability Hate Crime Charter is an ongoing project and living document. We are building a long-term campaign that involves more DPOs and third-party reporting centres.
If you are interested in inputting into this, please email bethany.bale@disabilityrightsuk.org
