Homo Faber Association, Lublin, Poland
When ranked on a European scale, Poland stands out due to a high level of prejudice. Prejudice against people of non-Polish ethnicity has increased since 2015, especially towards the most numerous groups, such as Ukrainians. There has also been an increase in the rate of prejudice-related crime. Meanwhile, only a small number of these crimes are reported, and there is a very low level of free-of-charge support for people in this group.
The project aims to provide support for victims of prejudice-related crime on racial, ethnic, religious, and nationalist grounds, to mitigate the effects and help prosecute the perpetrators.
Under the project, by working with the partners, the Homo Faber Association and Nomada Association, three support centres will be opened in cities that have a large migrant community: Warsaw, Wrocław, and Lublin. These centres will provide direct support for 60 migrants that are victims of hate crimes. A tool will be created for collecting data concerning incidents and the form of support provided. The project also envisages watchdog, advocacy, and intervention measures, such as publicising and documenting cases, intervention, and monitoring court cases. The project also includes briefings in municipalities and with students, and a public campaign on social media. A report will be drawn up on racial crime against migrants in Poland.
The project will lead to hate crimes being publicised effectively, a shift in the approach of law enforcement agencies and witnesses of racial crime, and direct legal aid for 60 migrants who are victims of hate crimes.
