Access to Justice: Restorative Justice for LGBTQ+ hate crime
Aims
This project promotes access to and provision of Restorative Justice as a method of addressing LGBTQ+ hate crime and incidents committed by young people across London. Within this project, Why me? is working with LGBTQ+ organisations, Youth Justice Services and professionals from other statutory and NGO agencies to both provide and promote the use of Restorative Justice to tackle LGBTQ+ hate crime and incidents. Why me? is doing this by focusing on working specifically with the London boroughs of Wandsworth and Richmond.
As part of this project, we have shared our findings in a guide on how to use Restorative Justice for LGBTQ+ hate crimes and incidents.
What are we doing?
- Why me? has published a chapter in the Safe To Be Handbook by the Speak Out project about using Restorative Justice in cases of LGBTQ+ hate crime.
- We have established referral links that enable LGBTQ+ groups to refer cases to our in-house Restorative Justice service.
- We have partnered with LGBTQ+ organisations to do joint work on Restorative Justice and restorative practice.
- We have conducted Restorative Justice awareness raising sessions with LGBTQ+ community groups.
- We have given our staff LGBTQ+ training.
- Partnering with an LGBTQ+ organisation, Youth Justice Service and other agencies within two London boroughs to establish referral processes directly to our Restorative Justice service.
- Raising awareness of the importance of Restorative Justice for LGBTQ+ hate crimes and incidents through attendance at external forums and publishing articles.
- We are also aiming to recruit LGBTQ+ Community Ambassadors to talk about their experience of Restorative Justice, and develop a UK-wide guidance booklet on using Restorative Justice for LGBTQ+ hate crime.
Why are we doing this?
- LGBTQ+ hate crime is rising and victims are not getting the support that they need.
- Restorative Justice has the potential to break down barriers between victims of hate crime and their offenders, and could have significant benefits for both parties.
- Welsh rugby star Gareth Thomas met with the teen who assaulted him because of his sexuality through Restorative Justice. This boy apologised for his actions, and Gareth had a positive experience of Restorative Justice.
“People on the receiving end of hate crime have few options about how to respond and recover. Their lives can be transformed by having the opportunity to get their questions answered and to be heard by the person who perpetrated the crime.”
Lucy Jaffé, Director of Why me?
This leaflet was created in partnership with Free2B, covering the topics of Tackling Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia and Restorative Justice. Click the image to see the full leaflet.
To find out more about this work, please contact us at info@why-me.org.
This work is funded by City Bridge Trust. Twitter: @CityBridgeTrust
