18.02.2016
With thanks to the generous funding of the Irish Research Council, Jennifer Schweppe and Dr Amanda Haynes of the Hate and Hostility Research Group at the University of Limerick are delighted to host a roundtable workshop on monitoring hate crime in Ireland, with a view to assessing the utility and form of a uniform reporting mechanism.
There will be four sessions at the workshop, each of which will be led by international experts who will present on their topic for approximately 20 minutes, as well as a short presentation on some of the data protection concerns that arise. Joanna Perry of Facing Facts Forward will discuss the purpose and use of third party reporting mechanisms; metropolitan police officer Paul Giannasi of True Vision will discuss the relationship between civil society monitoring mechanisms and police reporting of hate crime; and Rosemary Simkins of Stop Hate UK will discuss the complexities and challenges of engaging with and accessing targeted communities.
Each presentation will be followed by an open and engaging roundtable discussion with representatives of four of the five research partners to the project: the European Network Against Racism Ireland, the HHRG, Inclusion Ireland, and Transgender Equality Network Ireland (with the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network also a research partner). Each presentation will provide space for CSO participants to provide insight into their learning and experience, and for the HHRG to comment on the analysis of the data, recording instruments provided and interviews conducted during the course of the research.
Ultimately, the workshop will feed into the production of a large report detailing the current prevalence and manifestations of hate crime in Ireland, as well as outlining some of the challenges and advantages and the potential form of a uniform reporting mechanism for hate crime in Ireland.