Religious Hate Crimes occur when someone is targeted because of their identity to a Religious group.

A religious group means a group of people who share the same religious belief such as Muslims, Hindus and Christians.

It also includes people with no religious belief at all.

(citizens advice)

Victims of Religious Hate Crimes may face additional barriers after experiencing the incident such as:

Normalising what has happened

If incidents happen often then people may ‘normalise’ it and attribute it to an expected everyday experience.

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World Events

In the aftermath of traumatic, political or polarising events, it can become frightening to report Hate Crime when there appears to be an atmosphere of hostility towards certain religious groups.

Some people feel that their experience might be ignored or even supressed.

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Lack of Trust in Police and Criminal Justice Agencies

Some members of a faith might have had previous negative experiences with police forces There may be a distrust in authorities such as the Police and wider criminal justice agencies.

This can cause feelings of frustration and hopelessness when it comes to reporting hate crimes.

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Lack of awareness of what a Hate Crime is

Many people are unaware of what a Hate Crime is, and how the abuse, bullying, hostility or prejudice they have endured could be classed as a criminal offence

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Cultural Barriers

There may be a stigma about coming forward or accessing support from external services or talking about what has happened with people who do not share the same beliefs.

If you are worried about reporting a Hate Crime you can talk to Victim Support first who can listen and talk to you about your options.