The evidence above reflects the ongoing pervasiveness of racism and xenophobia, compared with other hate crime categories. In 2020 the number of reported prejudice and hate crime incidents in Grampian reached its highest level in the last six years. The majority of these incidents related to race/ethnicity, with a rise in incidents targeting people from Africa and the Middle East. The figures are likely to be much higher due to under-reporting, shaped by a series of complex factors. These include lack of knowledge of how to do it or finding it too difficult; fear of retribution; discomfort speaking with the Police; and language issues.
As an indicator of how widespread under-reporting could be, even though official figures showed a slight decrease in incidents targeting Asian people in 2020, evidence suggests that Covid-19 led to a higher proportion of people in Chinese and East Asian communities experiencing prejudice and hate crime, causing them to feel less safe than they did before the pandemic.
Additionally, a rise in gender-based abuse was noted during the pandemic.
Priorities
- Promote how to report hate crime and where to get support.
- Engage with young people in schools and other settings, especially around issues of equality, human rights and gender-based violence.