The Euro-Arab Foundation is committed to fighting against hate, intolerance and discrimination by integrating the European consortium of the STAND-UP project, co-funded by the European Commission Directorate General for Justice and Consumers. These practices and feelings often lead to committing serious and violent crimes and are largely causes of broader social tensions and have long-lasting repercussions on victims, their families and on our societies. However, there are deficiencies at the European level in the management of hate crimes and discrimination against people or communities based on gender, race, sexuality or other aspects, as well as in the response given by the public authorities of European countries.
The partners of the STAND-UP project meet today from Italy, Spain, Greece and France for the first time, starting the project that will be developed over the next two years.
The STAND-UP Project’s main objective is to improve cooperation between different organizations in the fight against hate crimes through the design, development and implementation of a new inter-institutional model led by public authorities. To achieve this objective, STAND-UP proposes:
1. Establish common definitions of hate crime, integrated into a framework for cooperation;
2. Standardize reporting procedures;
3. Deepening understanding of the phenomena of hate speech and crimes, including the feelings behind them;
4. Strengthen support for victims;
5. Design and implement training for CSOs, LEAs, prosecutors and judges on how to report, investigate, prosecute and prevent hate crimes and discrimination.
The model developed by STAND-UP will include technological tools that make it possible to improve the monitoring of hate crimes and speeches, as well as the exchange of data between the different organizations; an established definition of hate crimes; two models for reporting hate crimes (for law enforcement agencies and CSOs) and an inter-agency manual for victim support. STAND-UP will make use of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) techniques and tools in such a way that public authorities and Civil Society organizations can identify areas of intervention, groups at risk and the weight of the feelings of hatred expressed. via Internet.
Within the framework of the project, training will be carried out for relevant actors, CSOs, LEAs, prosecutors and judges, so that they can implement the tools and mechanisms developed within the framework of the project with the support of Virtual Reality.
The Foundation will be in charge of the dissemination and communication of STAND-UP in order to publicize the project and its results, seek the sustainability, exploitation and transferability of the products, contributing to raising awareness of hate crimes.
Project coordinator:
Procura della Repubblica presso il Tribunale Ordinario di Trento – Italy
Partners:
National Commission for Human Rights – Ethniki Epitropi gia ta Dikaiomata tou Anthropou – Greece
Fundación Euroárabe de Altos Estudios – Spain
European Public Law Organization – Greece
Fondazione Agenfor International – Italy
Association des Agences de la Democratie Locale – France
