| A new Web site geared towards young people will be launched next week to enable Calgarians to report hate and bias crimes and talk about their implications.
Serhan Tarkan, spokesperson for www.reporthate.com, says the Web site is intended to create a community where young people can report hate crimes anonymously and away from the police.
"The whole point is to create a kind of outlet for young people to report and discuss hate crimes," Tarkan says. "This is not like a cop coming to a school to give a lecture.... We’re trying to present it as a community initiative rather than a police thing, so they may respond better."
Although the project is supported by the city and the CPS, it has no formal ties to either – organizers hope that independence will encourage victims who are reluctant to go to the police to tell their stories.
Those behind the Web site plan to turn their statistics over to the police, who can use them to try and better understand crimes motivated by race, ethnic origin, colour, religion or sexual orientation – there is little hard data about such crimes, except for statistics that indicate only about 10 per cent are actually reported.
Cst. Doug Jones, hate/bias crime co-ordinator for the CPS, says no police action will be taken as a result of reports to the site, unless it is specifically requested.
"This is a community-based initiative," he says. "The CPS really has no connection to it, other than it’s related to hate crimes."
The CPS launched its own campaign last year to encourage the reporting not only of hate crimes, but of hate incidents, which includes anything from name calling to promoting prejudice.
Reporting crime is only one aspect of the Web site, and Tarkan says other sections will include information about what constitutes a hate or bias crime, and will allow people to discuss issues or simply vent their frustrations.
"It will give people the chance to say ‘This is what happened to my friend,’ and ‘I’m outraged,’ and that kind of thing," Tarkan says.
The official launch takes place Monday, January 21 at 4:30 p.m. at the Calgary Science Centre. |
