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4.1.4 Reaching and Supporting Victims of Hate Crimes
No program currently exists in Poland concentrating specifically on victims of ideologically motivated violence and harassment as the number one priority. This situation notwithstanding, it must be noted that various organizations are aware of the problem, and some of them are faced with it in their daily operations either when they are approached by the victims themselves or when they attempt to intervene and provide assistance in cases known to an organization’s staff or activists and recognized by them as hate crimes. Often this assistance is provided in a non-institutionalized and informal way, ranging from helping individuals establish contact with police and lawyers to assisting individuals with gaining access to civic and legal support throughout the process of filing claims and initiating lawsuits. These organizations also help organize community-based self-defense groups to counter racist attacks. At times, NGOs specializing in civic and legal aid carry out tasks concerning victim assistance under the more general framework of antidiscriminatory activities. There are also examples of victim assistance provided by particular minority organizations on a more permanent basis; however, even in such cases, hate crimes are not necessarily their predominant field. Attempts at establishing crisis intervention assistance to hate crime victims have been infrequent and short-lived to date.
(OPP)
