Richmond Mencap "Stand by me"

Stand by me!

Ending disability hate crime together

What is a disability hate crime?

As part of learning disability week, running from June 20th - 26th. Richmond Mencap would like you to support us in increasing awareness and generating as many petition signatures as we can. Richmond Mencap is a hate crime reporting centre and we want to encourage people to raise any incidents of hate crime they experience. It is important for anyone who supports people with a learning disability to sensitively encourage them to report any incidents they have experienced, so that we can make sure the police and all agencies work together to respond and stop disability hate crime and where necessary bring those people responsible to justice.

Please sign the petition and visit the www.mencap.org.uk/standbyme to find out more about the campaign and how you can make a difference. You can also contact Richmond Mencap and tell us your experiences and views. Contact the office on 020 8744 1923, email us on richmondmencap@btopenworld.co.uk.

Disability hate crime is hugely overlooked. The general public is simply not aware that attacks based on someone’s disability take place in the same way as racist and religious attacks. But this is precisely the case. Mencap often receives reports from around the country of people with a learning disability who are verbally abused, physically attacked, raped and murdered. They might be seen as easy targets or valued less because of their learning disability. With your help, Mencap wants to change this. Any crime where the victim or any other person feels they are being targeted because of their disability is a disability hate crime.

These crimes can have a far bigger impact than other crimes and often leave victims afraid to engage in everyday activities. It could also be a disability hate crime if someone is targeted because they are thought to have a disability or if they are associated with someone who has a disability. This means a whole range ofcrimes, from name calling on the street to a push on the bus, right through to horrific cases of torture and murder, could be eligible to receive tougher sentences from the courts.

Disability hate crime is not an issue that will go away. It is more serious and widespread than you might think. This is not a reason to be afraid, but an opportunity to dosomething to stop hate crime.

Thank you for your support!