Impact of COVID-19 on hate crimes and violence

The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), in conjunction with the Secretary of State for Citizenship and Equality, and with the support of the High Commission for Migration, IP (ACM) and the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (CIG), has awarded special support to projects and initiatives that enable the production and dissemination of knowledge and researchon crimes of incitement to hatred and violence and the expression of hate speech in the wake of the pandemic and the dissemination of its impacts on the most vulnerable groups of the population.

Several European and international bodies recommend strengthening comprehensive knowledge of crimes of incitement to hatred and violence of a racist, xenophobic, gender-based, and homophobic nature, while also drawing attention to the low rates of reporting and participation. These concerns have been amplified by the disproportionate effects on certain vulnerable communities and groups of the spread of discriminatory practices and hate speech during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to segmentation, greater insecurity, social exclusion, isolation, and stigmatization of these groups, even preventing their access to vital rights and services (health, labor, etc.) and promoting an escalation of violent behavior and crime (ILGA Europe, 2020; UN, 2020). etc.) and promoting an escalation of violent behavior and crime (ILGA Europe, 2020; UN, 2020). Health professionals, journalists, humanitarian workers, and essential service workers have also been victims of various forms of misinformation and segregation motivated by fake news (UN, 2020).

The UN recommends recognizing, monitoring, collecting information, and analyzing trends in hate speech related to COVID-19, at the national and global levels, in order to support effective responses, and that relevant actors — states, media, digital platforms, and civil society organizations — develop strategies to identify, analyze, and counter hate speech, supporting transparent, accessible, and independent analysis systems (UN Guidance Note on Addressing and Countering COVID-19-related Hate Speech, May 2020). The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe also urges member states to develop robust systems for the comprehensive study and analysis of data on “hate crimes” as a first step in combating this crime and supporting victims.

Responding to these recommendations and concerns is the central objective of this special support. The projects to be funded should therefore contribute to a better understanding of and intervention in crimes of incitement to hatred and violence and hate speech in Portugal, presenting innovative and effective solutions for improving responses and policies.

See the results of Call 

See the list of approved projects