The crucial role of intersectional and victim-centred approaches to confronting bias-motivated violence.

The publication includes the national reports on the assistance of victims of hate crimes elaborated in the context of the Project "Counter-Hate - Improving the assistance of victims of hate crimes through a victim-centered and intersectional approach", funded by the European Union (JUST-2021-JACC).

COUNTER-HATE project seeks to consider the particular vulnerability of hate crime victims. The COUNTER-HATE project is being implemented in six European countries (Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Spain). It includes analytical activities, training, staff exchanges, workshops, seminars, and awareness-raising events, among other activities. Each participant country implemented a research phase to map and evaluate national legislation and policies regarding hate crimes and assistance to victims. Particularly, the research took into account to what extent those measures ensure the transposition of the Victims Directive and whether it is well implemented in practice by addressing the needs of victims of hate crimes. Through a mixed-method approach, the COUNTER-HATE project also explores the overlapping of discrimination factors. It analyses the opinions and needs of victims of hate crimes, as well as the perspectives and viewpoints of professionals on different issues: the existing services and policies for victims, the role of public bodies in the current provision of services, as well as their personal and professional experiences linked to bias-motivated violence.

The following pages present the results of the research carried out in the participating countries. The national information includes the highlights and the detailed results of the exploratory phase of the project. Finally, it presents the challenges at the national level to build a more just, equal, and prejudice-free society