Abuse on a large scale is not just happening behind closed doors as in the recent exposure at
Winterbourne but in the community - on the streets - in public – by the public. Disability Hate Crime.
I did not realise that people calling C names or expressing hateful opinions about C
is verbal abuse –
and is a
Hate Crime. Over the years I have accepted the staring, muttering, making comments as part of C’s life. Not only did
I accept it but I expect it every time I take C out. It is part of our lives that I have had to get used to so it doesn’t get to me. Thankfully C is oblivious to it (as far as I can tell).
C’s
invisible disability is very visible! And there have been times I’ve felt harassed and in danger.
I recently had some training in
Disability Hate Crime which touched on genocide. And with Panorama still fresh in my mind I have decided
no more! The kids/adults muttering abuse – calling C names (and we live in a respectable area) have been getting away with it as I have been ignoring it I now realise could be the predatory corrupt caregivers - the emotional and physical abusers of tomorrow.
Disability hate crime is a direct attack on a person's identity and an infringement of their human rights, perceived by the person or any other person. It doesn’t matter that the person doesn’t understand it.There have many headlines over the years of the failure of the police, prosecutors and some care organisations to take Disability Hate Crime seriously.
Fiona Pilkington being a very high profile case – after it was too late. A mother who killed herself and her daughter because no one listened.
Unless we as a society recognise what disability hate crime is and start reporting it nothing will change.
I reported my first Hate Crime last week and was impressed with how the local police dealt with it. They couldn’t follow it up but it has been added to the statistics – I’m sure I will be adding many more.
By reporting this will help the police get a better idea of the level of hate crime in your local area and improve the way Police respond to it and could prevent escalation of seriousness. More funding and resources maybe allocated.
More information;
On C's behalf - I am not going to accept it anymore.
Whats your experience?
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Comments (3)
The problem is that by definition, hate crimes can't exist in a society whose basic tenets include freedom of speech. When saying something offensive becomes (became) a crime, freedom of speech ceases to exist. It is not nice for someone to say mean things, but unless they threaten you (assault) or actually hurt you or lay hands on you or your property, they have not, under our constitution (at least in USA) committed a crime. Yes, I know, under new law (which is in direct contravention to the constitution) they have, but these laws will be the death knell of our freedom if allowed to persist. Don't be a victim. If someone calls you (or your child) a name, call them on the carpet and tell them what you think about what they said. If a mother killed herself and her child, the only victim of a real crime (murder) was the child. No words said are powerful enough to justify the murder of her child. I'm not saying that the mean things people say are good. I'm just saying that to criminalize speech that is unpopular for any of a variety of reasons is a death blow to the freedoms we enjoy.
BTW I agree that abuse of disabled people is something that should not be socially acceptable, and I believe that we should call out those who act like that. Some of the strongest people I know are disabled or the caretakers of disabled people.
Thank you so much for posting this. Every time my daughter and I go out in public, it seems someone in the public says mean comments or rude tones directed at us. Because her disability, autism, is not visible people think the have the right to say things, and I am so tried of it too. I am not an aggressive person so I just pull done my sunglasses so they can't see me cry and continue to work with my daughter on the situation. YOU are right it is a disability hate crime!!!