Beating HIV Hate Neighbours

posted: 07/12/2010

Tom faced a four year campaign of HIV hate from his neighbours before he finally moved away. Tom (not his real name) is gay and HIV positive and his sexuality and having HIV made him a target for one of his neighbours in a block of flats in Manchester.

• They made inappropriate and abusive comments to him and his partner
• Then they accused him of playing loud music in the early hours
• They accused him of threatening them, so he was arrested.
• They also told other people in the block about his HIV
• Tom was assaulted twice
• His landlord, a housing association, went to court and got an injuction against him
• His landlord tried to evict him.

"This neighbour kept diaries about me, recording who was visiting my flat, and she claimed I was bullying her. The housing association that owned the flat issued an injunction against me. She got me arrested for allegedly threatening to kill her."
Earlier this year Tom’s housing association tried to end his tenancy, by sending him a court summons to repossess his flat .
 

Breakthrough Help

That was when he asked Breakthrough UK to help. Breakthrough are a Manchester-based national charity which supports disabled people who are victims of hate crime. Tom said "They advised me to give up the flat and get out. They gave me support, and now I'm in private accommodation. This neighbour made my life hell. She was making stuff up about me. I couldn't stand to be in the flat. I started drinking and would stay out as late as possible.
 

Police Say - Not a Hate Crime
"I told the police but they didn't see it as a hate crime – just anti-social behaviour.

I am a lot happier now. I have no stress and I'm free from all the hatred and homophobia. Without the support of Breakthrough I would probably have finished up in prison. The neighbour had claimed I had breached the injunction, but that was untrue, she just wanted to get me locked up."
 

Stamping out HIV hate
Lorraine Gradwell, Chief Executive of Breakthrough UK, said: "Our service sends out a clear message that any kind of hate crime against disabled people must be stamped out." Hate crime can be a physical attack or verbal attack towards a person because of their disability. Last year Greater Manchester Police recorded 74 incidents of hate crime against disabled people, but not this one.
 

The police are now working closely with disabled people and disability organisations including Breakthrough UK, to raise awareness of the crime and encourage victims to come forward.
 

Sergeant Kate Crompton, Greater Manchester Police, said: "Some disabled people are subject to appalling crimes because of their disability. Many are unaware that incidents such as name calling, harassment and intimidation can be criminal offences and should be reported to the police straight away. We are working hard to catch offenders and support victims and would ask anyone who has been subject to this crime to come forward. This type of behaviour is entirely unacceptable and will not be tolerated and those responsible will be brought to justice."
 

HIV Hate Too?

If you have been a victim of HIV or disability hate crime, you can contact

• George House Trust services team by email or by phone 0161 274 4499
• Breakthrough UK
• The Working It Through Together Project at Breakthrough UK runs a Disability Hate Crime Helpline for Greater Manchester     0161 882 2213        on Wednesdays between 2pm - 6pm, and you can leave a message on the ansaphone outside this time.
• your local neighbourhood policing team at www.gmp.police.uk or by calling 0161 872 5050
   

Working It Through Together  staff are also available on the main Breakthrough UK phone number       0161 273 5412       on Monday - Friday between 9 and 5, or by e-mail.
 

Source

Don’t Put Up With HIV Hate

posted: 27/10/2010

HIV hate and abuse are a problem for some people with HIV – but almost no-one complains. Now national charity Citizens Advice are urging people to go to their local bureau and report hate incidents, and hate crimes, whether people saw these or were the target themselves.

A hate incident is when someone is targeted because of their disability, gender identity, race, religion or sexual orientation. Hate incidents include verbal or physical attacks and can happen to anyone. Where the incident is a crime it is known as a hate crime.

HIV hate and abuse - our pages on HIV prejudice and stigma

People can also contact HIV community and other organisations for information, support and advice.

Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice said:

“We all have the right to live free from violence, harassment or hostility, but over the years, we have seen cases how devastating hate incidents and discrimination can be on individuals, families and the wider community. Hate incidents target people because of who they are.
“We want people to feel able to come in and tell us about any form of discrimination whether experiencing or witnessing hate incidents, and no matter how minor they might seem. Hate incidents are a form of discrimination.”
 

YouTube: Tackle Hate Crime
Advice Week 2010 put the spotlight on discrimination and Citizens Advice Bureaux are raising awareness about hate incidents and how to tackle them. Advice podcasts and a film show possible ways of coping with hate incidents. The tackling hate film clip is here on YouTube. The advice podcast is here 

2 in 3 want help after discrimination
Discrimination is the problem people are least likely to seek help with, says the Working Together for Advice Coalition (Advice Services Alliance, Advice-UK, Age UK, Citizens Advice, Law Centres Federation and Youth Access).
 

One in three people experiencing discrimination do nothing about it. Of these, two thirds say they wanted to act, but felt unable to. The YouTube film highlights people’s new anti-discrimination rights and information about where to seek free support and advice. It shows people who have suffered discrimination and how advice has helped them take action and turn a bad situation round. The film clip is here on YouTube

Four times more hate
People with disabilities (such as HIV) are four times more likely to experience a hate crime than people without disabilities, reports the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
One example
A man with learning disabilities was bullied using online social networks. The person’s private details were published with mobile phone videos. Hundreds of people joined as members to mock and harass him. The local Citizens Advice Bureau worked with the police, the social network site and others to find those responsible, remove the site, support the person and take action against those responsible.
 

England and Wales Citizens Advice Chief Executive Gillian Guy, said:
“Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales helped with over 28,000 discrimination enquiries last year yet far too many people still aren’t aware of their rights or how to challenge it. Discrimination is a distressing experience, which can leave people feeling isolated and helpless. But Citizens Advice bureaux and other agencies can explain the law and help you take action if you want to. Don’t put up with it. Get advice.”

Source
 

facebook - Disability Hate Crime Network

posted: 30/07/2010

People interested in stopping HIV hate and other forms of disability hate crime can join the facebook self-help group.

Fighting HIV and disability hate crime, bullying, abuse, and stigma is a big current issue with a major Inquiry collecting evidence of the problem. You can find out more about the Inquiry and how to tell your story here.

HIV Policy expert Chris Morley of George House Trust was interviewed at length about the hate crime experiences and impacts on people living with HIV, what works in combating HIV stigma as part of this Inquiry. But people's first hand accounts really need to be heard.

Join the facebook Disability Hate Crime Network here.

Action Against HIV Hate

posted: 21/05/2010

People with HIV now have the same protection as other victims of disability hate crime. The Crown Prosecution Service has updated its official guidance on disability hate crime, and has now added HIV. This official guidance is used by prosecutors and police.
 

Disability hate crime means anything from HIV abuse in the street, to a burglary where someone spray paints HIV abuse on your kitchen wall. Any crime where HIV hate plays some part is a HIV hate crime. Sentences are then increased for the HIV-hate part of the main crime – which is the one that's prosecuted : insulting behaviour, harassment, burglary etc.
 

Unprotected?
Until HIV was added to this official guidance, it was unclear whether the legal definition of disability used for hate crime cases included everyone with HIV. It looked like many people with HIV were unprotected from disability hate crime.

There seemed to be a loophole in disability protection for people with HIV. When disability hate crime was made illegal, this was at a time when some people with HIV were not treated by the law as ‘disabled’ and therefore had no legal protection. Later disability law was extended to cover everyone with HIV from the moment of diagnosis. But the CPS guidance ignored this law change.
 

Evidence for change
George House Trust and other HIV organisations champion the fair treatment and protection of all people with HIV and NAT has led the national campaign since 2008. Working with the Equality and Human Rights Commission, NAT told the CPS that their disability hate crime guidance excluded people living with HIV and provided the evidence to back it up.

A serious case of assault in Manchester, where the HIV hate was ignored in the sentencing by the court was one example of the problems.
 

The reality of HIV stigma means it is vitally important that people living with HIV receive the same protection as other disabled people. The CPS revised their guidance, making it clear that people living with HIV are included within the definition of disability.
 

Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of NAT, commented: “The publication of this revised guidance brings to an end the legal disadvantage faced by people living with HIV who are victims of hate crime. By issuing this statement, the CPS has sent out a clear message that HIV-related hate crime will not be tolerated.”
 

Nadine Tilbury, Senior Legal Advisor for the CPS, said: “The assistance of the NAT in providing data and expertise during our review of our legal guidelines on prosecuting cases of disability hate crime was invaluable. We welcome all such help from organisations and individuals and, where it makes a clear case for change or clarification, we will act on it. Crimes against people living with HIV which are motivated by hostility towards their status have no place in our society and we will prosecute those responsible robustly and, where there is sufficient evidence to do so, we will apply to the court for more severe sentences.”

What the change means
If a person is a victim of crime because of their HIV status, this can now be considered an aggravating factor by the courts, leading to enhanced sentences for the perpetrators of such crimes.

NAT will now be working with organisations that support people living with HIV to ensure they are aware of this recent development and can support people living with HIV that are victims of hate crime.
 

People living in NW England are encouraged to contact our services team for advice and support.

Gay-Hate and HIV-Hate

posted: 01/04/2010

Blow the Whistle on Gay Hate is the name of a new booklet for gay and bisexual men about challenging gay hate, stigma, blaming, and abuse. This booklet could help people with HIV blow the whistle on HIV hate. Whether it is hate because of HIV, race, sexuality, gender, or disability, what you can do about it is much the same, so this booklet should help people with HIV, whether or not you are gay.

download the booklet Blow the Whistle on Gay Hate

HIV Hate Action

Have you been

• hit
• called names
• spat at
• had your things stolen or damaged

because of HIV?

That's harassment and it is a crime.

A new project helps people dealing with HIV harassment including HIV called Working it Through Together. It's run by Breakthrough UK, who are based in Manchester.

contact Working it Through Together 0161 273 5412

Official Hate Inquiry

HIV hate is also on the agenda for an official Inquiry into hate and harassment of people with disabilities (HIV counts in law as a disability). The Equalities and Human Rights Commission has started a formal Inquiry.

This is a serious step - it means they know the law is not working as it should. Public bodies (like councils and the NHS) have a legal duty to get rid of disability (including HIV) harassment but recent cases show councils are failing. 

After this formal Inquiry the Equalities and Human Rights Commission can order public bodies to do things. We think this is a great opportunity to push for some real action against HIV stigma from public bodies. We're working with NAT on this and have told the EHRC they should include HIV in their Inquiry. More details here   

Stonewall Gay Hate pages