NUS report on hate crime among students released

The National Union of Students (NUS) has published its report exploring students’ understanding,awareness and experiences of hate crime.

16% of those surveyed experienced at least one form of hate incident while studying at their current university or college, a disturbingly high number.

The main findings are below:

Racial or ethnic prejudice:

18 per cent of Black Minority Ethnic (BME) students stated they had been a victim of a racially-prejudiced incident.

4 per cent of non-BME students stated they had been a victim of a racially-prejudiced incident.

Religious prejudice:

31% of Jewish students stated they had been a victim of racial prejudice, as did 17% of Muslim students and 4% of Christian students.

Prejudice against the disabled:

Eight per cent of respondents who considered themselves to have a health condition, impairment, or disability reported a disability-related hate incident, as compared to less than one per cent of non-disabled respondents.

Nearly one in four (24 per cent) respondents with a physical impairment,and 15 per cent with a sensory impairment, stated they had experienced anti-social behaviour or crime motivated by a prejudice against their disability.

12 per cent with a mental health condition and the same number with a learning difference experienced a disability-related incident.

Just under one in ten respondents with a long-term illness and a further five per
cent of respondents with an ‘other’ disability also reported victimisation due to prejudice against their disability.

Homophobic prejudice:

31 per cent of LGB respondents reported at least one incident that they believed was motivated by a bias against their sexual orientation, compared to only two per cent of heterosexual respondents.

Transgender prejudice:

40 students indicated that their gender identity was not the same as the gender they were assigned at birth – 18 (45 per cent) of whom reported victimisation due to
prejudice against their transgender background.

Where did the hate crime take place?

41 per cent of incidents involving hate-related verbal abuse took place at the student’s institution, including in the learning environment (accounting for 15 per cent),students’ union (four per cent), or other areas of the university or college (23 per cent).

31 per cent of involving hate-related physical abuse took place at the institution, mostly in other areas of the university or college outside of the learning environment or students’ union.

64 per cent of incidents involving display/distribution of threatening, abusive, or insulting material occurred at the student’s place of study, with 41 per cent of
these incidents taking place in and around areas of the university or college other than the learning environment or students’ union.

Impact of hate crime:

12% of those who experienced hate crime said that it impacted their studies, while 22% said their mental health was affected and 17% said it affected their acceptance of other social groups.

One survey respondent said: "My confidence was destroyed by the incident. It
led to severe depression and a stay in a mental hospital, and my PhD studies never really recovered. Other factors affected this but the incident described here severely impacted on already difficult circumstances."

Reporting the hate crime:

In 13 per cent of hate crime incidents, the victim reported it to someone in an official role at their university or college.

In 9 per cent of hate crime incidents, the victim reported it to the police.

The report states: "Frequently cited reasons for not reporting hate incidents included not thinking it to be serious enough; feeling it was too common an occurrence to report; not believing the police could or would do anything about it; and not thinking the incident would be taken seriously.

"A significant minority of victims stated concern of reprisals and retribution, as well as feelings of shame and embarrassment, prevented them from reporting the hate incident."

It is a pity the report does not detail how those who reported it felt about the response they received or what the response was.

Perhaps later reports will ask these questions.


NUS statement:

Ben Whittaker, Vice President, Welfare, says:

Hate incidents affect not only the individuals targeted, but their families, friends, and the wider community – on and off campus.

Such occurrences encourage mistrust, alienation, and suspicion – and in turn, result in isolation, exclusion and barriers to communication.

Eradicating hate is a crucial step to ensure our colleges and universities are places in which a diversity of people and opinions is not only accepted, but celebrated.

Each and every student has the right to express themselves without fear, whether that be in their lecture theatre, in and around their institution, or in broader society.

NUS will work to ensure this becomes a reality.

A more extensive report, intended to inform NUS policy, will be available in August 2011.

My view is that students need to stand up for one another, get rid of any "middle-class guilt" and take steps to prevent hate crime from both other students and the wider community.

Read the NUS hate crime report.