Project activity
STARS: Comprehensive Support for Hate Crime Victims
- Project period:
- 29 November 2023 - 28 November 2025
- Implemented by:
- OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
- Fields of work:
- Tolerance and non-discrimination
Overview
Protecting and supporting hate crime victims is an essential and often overlooked element of a comprehensive response to hate crimes. However, in many OSCE participating States, measures or systems to support hate crime victims remain insufficient or do not exist at all. The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)’s initiative Strengthening Targeted Assistance and Response Structures for Hate Crime Victims in the OSCE Region (STARS) works to strengthen understanding of hate crime victims’ needs and rights. Implemented in close co-operation with the European Commission, STARS facilitates the exchange of good practice and training activities to improve hate crime victim support across the 27 countries of the European Union, which are also part of the OSCE region.
Activities
The STARS initiative builds on the success of ODIHR’s earlier project, Enhancing Stakeholder Awareness and Resources for Hate Crime Victim Support (EStAR).
ODIHR is working on two guidance documents related to hate crime victim support, as part of its role as a coordinator of the Working group on hate crime victim support under the European Union’s High Level Group on combating hate speech and hate crime.
STARS also draws on ODIHR’s expertise and resources to ensure the sensitive and respectful treatment of hate crime victims and help identify gaps in national protection and support systems, including the Office’s thematic training course and diagnostic tool. ODIHR also works to help civil society organizations improve the quality of their hate crime victim support, including through a dedicated training course.
A key area of the project is to organise two public webinars (recordings available here and here) featuring experts and practitioners in the field of hate crime victim support and a number of online events for practitioners as part of the Office’s ongoing work to increase expert engagement on the topic. Should you wish to take part, please contact ODIHR at hcvictimsupport@odihr.pl.