Hate Crime Overview and Types

Hate Crime: Overview

• Hate crime is a criminal act motivated by prejudice against a group.
• Victims may belong to LGBTQ+ communities, foreign national groups, or racial groups.
• Offenders aim to humiliate and dehumanize victims.
• Hate crimes can involve robbery and other crimes where the victim's identity (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender) is a factor.
• Hate crimes involve mixed motives, including robbery.

Hate Crime: Types and Definitions

• Hate victimisation covers hate crime, hate speech, and intentional discrimination.
• Hate crimes involve violence or bullying against individuals due to their identity.
• Corrective rape is a criminal practice, where men rape lesbian women to "cure" them of their sexual orientation.

Hate Crime: Extent and Reporting

• Hate crimes are less likely to be reported due to uncertainty over what constitutes a hate crime and fear of retaliation.
• Hate crimes often occur in sustained harassment contexts, such as home, school, and tertiary education.
• Victims' distrust of the police and criminal justice system contributes to underreporting.
• Victims also experience shame about their identity being attacked.
• Ignorance of hate crime laws by victims and law enforcement contributes to underreporting.
• Data on hate crime is lacking, making international comparison difficult.
• Race-based hate crimes are globally prevalent.
• Racism was institutionalised and internalised in South Africa.

Hate Crime: Examples in South Africa

• Notable incidents include outbreaks of attacks against foreign nationals, murders and rapes of black lesbians, and other racially motivated crimes.
• Historical examples include dragging black people to death behind motor vehicles and feeding them to lions.

Hate Crime: Impact on Individuals

• Victims experience distinct psychological distress, often severe and lasting.
• Factors like lack of family and community support aggravate the impact.
• Access to timely support services improves recovery.

Hate Crime: Impact on Society

• Hate crime's impact extends beyond the immediate victim to the larger community.
• Fear, mistrust, and renewed conflicts in communities can result.
• Specific examples of hate crimes, such as a black student stabbing a white student, contribute to community divisions and tensions.

Secondary Victimization

• Criminal justice officials and health service providers' negative attitudes and prejudice create secondary victimization for hate crime survivors.
• Community members sometimes display more support for the accused than the victim.
• Victims often avoid reporting hate crimes due to secondary victimization issues.

Factors Contributing to Hate Crimes

• Offender motives: thrill-seeking behavior, peer pressure, self-defense (response to victim's actions), ideology/mission-driven behavior (aiming to "rid the world of evil").
• Social background factors, including criminal history and antisocial behavior.
• Group dynamics contributing to a "group mentality".

Hate Crime: Xenophobia

• Xenophobia-based violence has been recorded globally, targeting foreign nationals in many countries.
• A factor contributing to xenophobia is a culture of impunity for violence against foreign nationals.

Hate Crime: Violence Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

• Cases such as the murder of Nontsikelelo Tyatyeka and Nqobile Khumalo highlight violence against LGBTQ+ individuals.
• South Africa's constitution guarantees LGBTQ+ rights but day-to-day reality remains challenging.

Hate Crime: Other Forms of Hate Crime

• Instances of violence against people based on religious affiliation and disabilities are prevalent.
• Attacks on religious property (synagogues, temples) pose a serious issue for communities.