Source- Victoria Police
By SAT News Desk
MELBOURNE, 12 November 2021: Victoria Police is bolstering efforts to tackle hate and prejudice-motivated crime with new resources launched today. New animation and posters are available in 10 languages to help diverse communities understand how to get support and report crimes caused by hate or prejudice. The resources are available in English, Arabic, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Hindi, Korean, Persian, Punjabi, Somali, Urdu, and Vietnamese.
A prejudice motivated crime is caused by hate towards another person or group because of characteristics such as race, religion, age, disability, or sexuality. Examples can include physical or verbal abuse, property damage or harassment. These crimes can take place in public or online. While they occur in Victoria, and around the country, they often go unreported to police and other authorities.
Source-YouTube, Victoria Police
When reported to police, officers will work closely with the victim to determine if the crime is caused by prejudice. Recording this information helps police identify trends and prevent further incidents from happening. The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission can also receive reports of racism, discrimination, vilification, and abuse. These crimes can also be reported anonymously to Crime Stoppers.
More information about prejudice motivated crime, and links to access the animation and poster, can be found on the Victoria Police website.
Priority and Safer Communities Division Commander Lisa Hardeman says, “Everyone has a right to feel safe in the community regardless of who they are. But sadly we know that this is not always the case.
“Racism and hate have no place in our society. But around in the world, and in Victoria, we have seen members of our community subjected to unacceptable harm caused by prejudice motivated crimes.
“These incidents can have a significant impact on a victim’s sense of safety, and they can also leave our broader communities feeling vulnerable, threatened, and isolated.
“We know reporting these types of incidents can be intimidating for members of our community who do not speak English as their first language.
“This is why we’re releasing these resources to help more of our community know how to seek help. Police take everyone’s safety seriously.”
Poster in Hindi
Source-Victoria Police.
