HATE crimes against LGBTQIA+ people are at a record high.
Transphobic and Homophobic hate crimes have increased dramatically over the last decade and are at the highest level since records began.
In the 12 months to the end of march this year, the PSNI reports that the number of transphobic crimes rose from 34 to 42. Homophobic crimes increased from 246 to 336.
For the same period ten years ago, only 3 crimes of a transphobic nature and 121 related to homophobia were recorded.
Justice Minister Naomi Long has said that she aims to strengthen hate crime legislation.
“Hate crime in any form, including transphobic abuse is unacceptable and can lead to attitudes and behaviours that lead to criminal offences," she said.
"Addressing hate crime is one of my priorities. This requires a collaborative response with partners in relation to tackling enabling factors of intolerance, prejudice and hate, as well as a robust legislative response to ensure action is taken against offenders, where necessary, and to increase victims’ confidence in the system that brings offenders to justice.”
A spokesperson for LGBTQIA+ charity, The Rainbow Project, described the figures as “shocking” and suggested they do not fully reflect the full experiences of victims with many hate incidents not treated as a criminal offence.
“We know that the majority of hate crimes and incidents go unreported, with young people particularly reluctant to report their experiences to the police.
“Our research has shown that LGBTQIA+ people are reluctant to report crimes for fear of experiencing further harassment or abuse.
The charity’s research indicates that 43 per cent of respondents were fearful of becoming a victim of hate crime in Northern Ireland and have found themselves altering behaviour, avoiding certain areas and stay indoors after dark.
Amnesty NI’s Patrick Corrigan said the figures as “a deeply disturbing picture of how hate-motivated crimes against minority groups continue to grow at an alarming rate”.
“Racist, homophobic, transphobic and disability motivated crimes all recorded their highest ever rates since records began nearly twenty years ago.
“We know that hate crime is massively under-reported to the police, so it is possible that some of the statistical increase may be attributed to victims of hate crime having more confidence in coming forward to the police as a result of public information campaigns and advocacy work by groups such as the Rainbow Project.
“While hate crimes are on the rise, sadly we see no increase in the proportion of offenders being held to account, such as through criminal charges or fines. The vast majority of hate crimes go unpunished. This cannot be considered acceptable."
Mr Corrigan added that “the long overdue sexual orientation strategy from the Northern Ireland Executive could also help to tackle the root cause of prejudice which fuels homophobic and transphobic hate crime.
"Ultimately, we need education as well as effective laws to address this problem."
