From The Guardian:
“Online hate crime against
disabled people rises by a third”
Online hate crimes against
disabled people in England and Wales have risen by a third in the last year,
according to police data. Findings from freedom of information requests to police
forces showed a 33% increase in recorded incidents between 2016-17 and 2017-18,
from 235 to 313. Leonard Cheshire, the health and welfare charity which
conducted the research, said that while people had greater confidence to report
such experiences, more support was needed for victims. Neil Heslop, the chief
executive, said: “Police are increasingly recording online offences, but we
know it remains an under-reported area and that disabled people may have
reservations about speaking out. “We suspect many crimes remain under the
radar, with survivors never getting support and perpetrators facing no
consequences.” He said hate crimes against disabled people could lead to
long-term fear, anxiety and isolation. Janine Howard, who was supported by the
charity’s advocacy services after experiencing online abuse, said: “People I
don’t know take my photograph when I am out and about, they post it on social
media for others to comment on. “The comments are nasty, hurtful and leave me
feeling frightened and angry. There is no escaping this online abuse if I want
to use social media.” Nearly three-quarters of forces responded – 32 out of 43
– with Norfolk and Suffolk reporting the biggest increases in recorded crimes.
Incidents in the counties rose from four to 23 and two to 20 respectively. There
was also a significant rise in Surrey, from eight to 25. Although Kent did not
report such a large jump, it had the most online disability hate crimes
recorded between 2017-18, at 30 offences. A separate survey of 1,647 disabled
adults in the UK, conducted by Leonard Cheshire, found that a third had
experienced hostile behaviour motivated by their disability, although 9% said
this was online or via a messaging app. Another 28% of respondents said
concerns about hostile behaviour had prevented them from going out in their
local area. One anonymous respondent said: “The online abuse affected my mental
and emotional health, I was unable to sleep properly for months. “Experiences
like this make me worried for younger people with disabilities who may be more
susceptible.” The charity called on global media companies, including Facebook,
to take online disability hate crime more seriously and to protect users. It
supported recommendations from MPs for government and social media companies to
directly consult disabled people on digital strategies and hate crime law.
^ Sadly, this is not only a major
problem in England and Wales, but around the world. ^
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