New website to report hate crime in the Western Balkans and Turkey
In partnership with ERA (LGBTI Equal Rights Association for the Western Balkans & Turkey), Stonewall is launching You Are Heard, an LGBTQI+ hate crime reporting website. This new service provides a safe space for LGBTQ+ people and allies to report incidents.
How does it work?
You Are Heard has been developed with expert civil society organisations to allow individuals to report anti-LGBTQI+ incidents, such as harassment, violence and hate speech.
Users can remain anonymous when reporting, or add contact information if they wish to receive support from trusted local LGBTQI+ organisations. Individual reports won’t be shared with the police or governmental bodies – instead, local LGBTQI+ support organisations will receive the information and data to manage and analyse. They’ll then lead on advocacy work across local regions within the Western Balkans and Turkey.
The anonymous statistics created from the data will be used to show governments and policy makers which policies and support systems for LGBTQI+ communities must be introduced or improved. Crucially, the website has been built with the safety of LGBTQI+ individuals in mind, so that users making reports can be sure that their personal information will remain private.
How will this help?
By creating a strong bank of evidence on hate crimes against LGBTQI+ people, advocacy groups will be empowered to create meaningful changes in legislation at a governmental level. We also hope that members of the LGBTQI+ community feel confident using You Are Heard to report incidents, since the platform will provide routes for survivors to access support in their area.
Stonewall and our partners aim to access further funding in the near future in order to maximise the impact of the platform. We plan to introduce enhanced digital functionality and further resourcing of advocacy work across the region, meaning the LGBTQI+ community will see further benefits as the platform grows.