Question reference: S5W-09777
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Date lodged: 19 June 2017
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Current status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 July 2017
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities on 13 June 2017 (Official Report, c. 12), whether it will provide an update on what progress it is making in fulfilling the cabinet secretary’s commitment to (a) engage with stakeholders on the prevention of online hatred and misogyny, (b) engage with stakeholders to ensure that the term “hate crime” applies to an event from the perspective of both the victim and the perpetrator, (c) build dialogue on the understanding of links between prejudice and hate crime, (d) review the effectiveness of third party reporting, including what action it will use to improve the effectiveness, (e) better protect people who experience hate crime on public transport, (f) implement the action plan on disability to address the underreporting of disability hate crime, (g) develop firmer definitions of “hate crime” and “prejudice” and (h) adopt the international definition for anti-Semitism, including when this will be adopted; which agencies will be included in the multi-agency delivery group to take forward the advisory group’s recommendations and when it will publish its refreshed approach to anti-bullying.
Answer
We are committed to doing all that we can to prevent and eradicate hate crime and prejudice, and build community cohesion. As set out in my statement on 13 June and in our response to the Independent Advisory Group, the Scottish Government will now take forward an ambitious programme of work in response to their recommendations.
The actions we have set out will be implemented between now and 2020 when we will publish an update on progress. We are currently in the process of establishing the multi-agency delivery group which, amongst other things, will look at how we address barriers to reporting, consider issues around online abuse and how we use the definition of anti-Semitism adopted on 16 June to inform our work in this area. We will continue to implement our disability action plan and take forward the development of a hate crime charter for public transport in partnership with disabled people’s organisations. We will also publish our refreshed National Approach to anti-bullying later in 2017.
Link to the Scottish Government's response to the Report of the Independent Advisory Group on Hate Crime, Prejudice and Community Cohesion: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2017/06/1336