The Hate and Bias Crimes Monitoring Form Project January 2013 September 2017 Presented at the launch of the research report Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre 8 February 2018 Prof Juan A ID: 767716
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The Hate and Bias Crimes Monitoring Form ProjectJanuary 2013 – September 2017 Presented at the launch of the research reportJohannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre8 February 2018Prof Juan A. Nel(Research Professor: UNISA Department of Psychology;HCWG lead researcher; Member of PsySSA Council)Yolanda Mitchell(Ubora Research Solutions)
‘ Take home’ messages Most comprehensive/ in-depth study of hate incidents in SA, to date An evidence base re occurrence , nature & impact (but not prevalence) now at the disposal of legislators/ policy makers Hate incidents have an especially traumatic effect on victims, with additional consequences for communities & society Some targeted more, but all affected/ ↓↓ recourse Skewness in whose/ which experiences given more attention HCWG not a proponent of criminalisation of hate speech (other remedies already exist), but words do matter and can be hurtful & harmful All have role to play in meaningful response Social problems require social solutions…
HCWG:Developing a hate and bias crimes monitoring tool for the South African context
Need for Monitoring Hate Incidents Historically no monitoring of hate incidents across vulnerable sectors in SALegislative importance:Send a clear message that hate crime will not be accepted (Jeff Radebe, Former SA Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, 2014)Unlock resources for raising awareness and training of service providersSocial / Societal importance:Internationally considered a priority crime, on basis of severity of emotional & psychological impact rather than prevalenceReaches beyond individual victim, affecting communities and extending to society
Need for collation of available, intersectoral data established in 2009 - 2010NOT a prevalence studyInclusivity - broader and more generic in nature↑ Government awareness of types of hate incidents happeningImproving future policy and strategies for addressing hate incidentsMonitoring the extent of hate incidents in respective sectorsMonitoring form collaboratively developed and piloted by a range of stakeholders, 2010 - 20125-year longitudinal study 2013 - 2017The journey:2009-2017
What data did we collect? Set goal of collecting 900 cases across sectors and in 5 provinces (EC, Gauteng, KZN, Limpopo, WC)Gathered 1061; 945 retained for analysisInformation on:DemographicsCurrent incident detailsThe profile of the alleged offender(s)Police – involvement and reactionAccess to court proceduresAccess to healthcare and supportPrevious incidents
Key findings (for today) The numbers and the peopleWho were victims of hate incidents?What types of incidents were recorded?Who were perpetrators of hate incidents?What was the impact on the victims?What was SA’s response to hate incidents?Recommendations
The numbers and the people
Who were victims of hate incidents?Age range: 0-81 Race: no-one exemptSome vulnerable groups targeted more often / more often recorded due to reports in media and by participating organisations (report: p. 14)Nationality (language plays a role)Sexual orientation / gender identityDual vulnerabilitiesJudaism (hate speech / defamation)
Victim demographicsAge: (Range = 0 – 81; Majority aged 21 – 40) 21-30: 41%31-40: 35%Race: 62% Black/ African11% White4% Coloured Gender: 64% men 28% women 8 % transgender Sexual Orientation : 64% heterosexual 35% gay/lesbian Nationality: 42% South African 28% East African 18 % Central African Education : 36% < Grade 12, 4% no formal 35% Grade 12; 25% tertiary Employment: 37% Paid employees 28 % Self-employed; 13% micro & small business owners 14% Unemployed Religion: 55% Christian 20% Islam; 11% Judaism; 8% Hinduism Language: 54% Other African languages36% South African (majority isiXhosa = 24%)
Prejudice basis45% Nationality 17% Sexual orientation14% Religion11% Gender ID / expression9% Race6% Occupation2% Ethnicity1% Disability1% Witchcraft1% Gender Perception of prejudice based on: Specific words or rhetoric: 68% Place / area or context: 36% Extreme cruelty Total destruction / overkill Clear message that crime is justified by victim being ‘un-human’ / a thing Victim always knows it was a hate crime
What types of incidents were recorded?Media focus v. daily experience (report: p. 13) Murder 4%; Rape 4%; Assault 14%Theft 30%; Damage to property 27%Intimidation 34%; Harassment 22%IUD 19%; Threatened with weapon 12%‘Minor’ crimes; major impactMessage crimesExtreme cruelty / overkillTotal destruction
Hate incidentsTypes of crimes Robbery / Theft: 285 (30%)Damage to property: 255 (27%)Assault: 135 (14%)Threatened with a weapon: 112 (12%)Assault GBH: 106 (11%) Murder: 36 (4%)Attempted murder: 38 (4%) Rape: 40 (4%)Sexual assault: 19 (2%)Police brutality: 11 (1%)Extortion / Blackmail: 12 (1%)Arson: 8 (0.8%)Other incidents Intimidation: 322 (34%)Hate speech = 223 (24%) Harassment: 209 (22%) Intentional unfair discrimination: 184 (19%) Illegal eviction: 160 (17%) Defamation: 102 (11%)
Hate incident detailsLocation:27% Eastern Cape 26% Western Cape 20% Gauteng 14% KwaZulu-Natal7% Limpopo6% Social media / Email 4 Broadcast media65% of cases involved one victim (1113 - 1257 people from 669 cases that involved persons, rather than organisations or whole sectors)Incident dates: ClustersInfluence of prevailing rhetoric unmistakable Incident time:46 % 12.00-18.00 25% 18.00-24.00 Incident often occurred on public transport (minibus taxi/ bus) or while walking home…
Who were perpetrators of hate incidents???? – information missingIndividuals: me; you; our neighbours Whole communitiesTeachers and preachersDoctors and nursesPolice officersPoliticians
Perpetrator characteristics Police: 7%; Public officials / Gov depts: 4%; Security staff: 6Hospital / medical staff: 1%School / school staff: 2%Known to the victim: 34% vs. NOT known to victim: 32%Community members: 34%Demographic characteristics difficult to establishCivil society seldom notes offender detail except in cases seen through court / arbitration processesOfficial stats virtually absent Often mobs, includes children / under aged offenders (processed differently)
What was the impact on the victims?IndividualCumulative LastingDebilitatingEmotional; mental; physical; economic; relationships (report: p. 15)Family / communityDebilitated individuals; debilitated familiesLove begins at home; hate does tooSocietySecurity and trust: lost; fear and anger spreadsPositive impact?
Frequency of changes in three target groups
What was SA’s response to hate incidents?Civil society, Chapter 9’s, statutory bodiesGood efforts within their abilities and mandates, but overwhelmed National structuresCriminal justiceTwo in three cases not reported to policeOffenders apprehended in one quarter of reported casesOnly 62 cases seen through to verdict; 16 convictions incl hate motiveTask teams / action plansProposed legislationIN EVERY CASE, SOMEONE HAS BEEN IMPRISONED...
RecommendationsMonitoring and recording hate crimesDevelop guidelines for responding to hate crimes What can you do?IndividuallyIn your communityIn your country
Thank you... Supported by a grant from the Open Society Foundation for South Africa (OSF-SA)Project Assistance by the Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA) and the Independent Projects Trust
Contact details Prof Juan Nel Cell: +27(0)83 282 0791 or nelja@unisa.ac.za hcwg.org.za