[ad_1]
Breadcrumb Trail Links Local News A photo of racist spray paint graffiti found on the Al Rashid Mosque as a hate crime on July 14, 2020, in Edmonton. Pillars on the mosques front steps were vandalized in purple spray paint. The symbol “114” used by white supremacist hate groups was painted on the pillars flanking the main entrance. Alberta’s government recently announced funding for a study to understand the growing problem of hate crime in Alberta. Photo by Greg Southam /Postmedia Article content
A provincial project trying to tackle the growing problem of Alberta hate crimes needs to be laser focused on the effects of those incidents, an Edmonton researcher on the topic says.
Advertisement 2
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Content item
Albertas government is funding two non-governmental organizations, the Alberta Hate Crimes Committee and the Organization for the Prevention of Violence, to research hate-motivated crime in Alberta as part of a $250,000 initiative, the province announced last week. The government also appointed former police officer Abdulkadir Abdi to coordinate the project and compile a report of recommendations to both prevent hate crimes and aid survivors.
By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 Thanks for signing up!
Content item
Irfan Chaudhry, a hate crimes researcher at Edmontons MacEwan University, said hes looking forward to seeing evidence-based recommendations drawn from the voices of those who have been affected by these crimes, especially after the governments shotgun approach to dealing with the problem last year.
Advertisement 3
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Content item
In 2021, amid a string of violent and racist attacks against Black and Muslim women in and around Edmonton, the province created a liaison and a coordination unit for Alberta hate crimes, as well as a grant program for religious and ethnic organizations to boost security on their premises. Kaycee Madu, then Albertas minister of justice, went so far as to ask the federal government to allow people to carry pepper spray for self defence.
A big missing piece was really strong community input and community perspectives, said Chaudhry, who is also the director of the universities office of human rights, diversity and equity.
Postmedia contacted both non-governmental groups involved in the research and Abdi for more information about the project but did not receive a response.
Advertisement 4
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Content item
In its news release announcing the research, the province said the study will involve fieldwork that engages local communities for feedback since hate crimes are often underreported.
Nevertheless, August data from Statistics Canada shows the number of police-reported hate crimes as well as the rate of incidents per 100,000 people increasing in Edmonton, Calgary and Lethbridge over the past five years.
Edmonton saw 66 such crimes in 2017 compared to 116 in 2021, while Calgarys figure climbed from 77 to 139 and incidents in Lethbridge increased from two to 10 over the same period.
A 2018 report from the Center for Race and Culture in Edmonton found people recognize that reporting incidents can help prevent others from experiencing discrimination or harassment in the future, but concerns for personal and professional repercussions, frustrating processes and a lack of meaningful outcomes also affected the decision to do so.
Advertisement 5
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Content item
The same report identified many of the barriers people encounter when trying to access organizational support or services in response to discrimination. A lack of awareness of these organizations and services topped the list, followed by others minimizing the incident and negative experiences when trying to seek support in the past.
Chaudhry said the provinces study might be able to localize and unpack why many hate crimes go unreported.
More importantly, it might also highlight some of the support gaps present in municipal services, or with the RCMP as a point of contact in rural areas, he said.
Speaking to the project Saturday, Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said hes also looking forward to the results, and echoed Chaudhrys concern for understanding the complexity of this problem.
Advertisement 6
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Content item
Some is organized, absolutely, Sohi said of hate crimes, adding that the city has directed funding to its own anti-racism programs and recently released an anti-Black racism strategy. But some of those crimes are acts of individuals who might be facing some mental health issues.
Chaudhry said funding for the provinces project is a much-needed life breath for anti-racism work in the province, but the effort needs continued support for long-term effects.
People are ready for some formal commitment, and that commitment oftentimes comes from sustained funding, he said.
@hamdiissawi
Share this article in your social network Advertisement 1
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Comments
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourages all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.
|
Sources 2/ https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/alberta-hate-crimes-study-could-be-life-breath-for-anti-racism-work-researcher The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article |
[ad_2]