Still No Place for Hate: Schools Report

In 2014, we launched the Citizens Commission into Hate Crime in Nottingham and the wider county. We recognised then, and we do now, that Nottingham is a vibrant, diverse and cosmopolitan area and one where we celebrate our diversity. However, we know that behind this, our members were telling us about how they, their families and their communities were facing substantial and enduring levels of hate crime. We also recognised that a gulf existed between this lived experience and the extent to which statutory agencies knew about the volume of hate crime and how to tackle it. This report opens with the story of Mr Alam, above, from a BBC News report in 2013. Too often, the debate around hate crime centres on adults. What this story also reminds us is that children and young people are often victims, either as members of families or targeted themselves. Yet we so rarely hear about their experiences. This motivated us to focus part of our inquiry on the voices and experiences of children and young people. Capturing their perceptions and experiences in itself was important but the main thrust of this project was to enable young people to comment on how schools and others might improve their understanding of, and responses to, hate crime.