Results of the support "Impact of COVID-19 on hate crimes and violence"

The FCT has announced the results of its special support for research projects on the "Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on crimes of discrimination and incitement to hatred and violence and on hate speech,"approving funding for six research and development (R&D) projects.

This special support line was launched by FCT in conjunction with the Secretary of State for Citizenship and Equality, and was supported by the High Commission for Migration, IP (ACM) and the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (CIG). The special support was aimed at R&D projects and initiatives that enable the production and dissemination of knowledge and action research on crimes of incitement to hatred and violence and the expression of hate speech, following the pandemic and the dissemination of its impacts on the most vulnerable groups of the population.

The application period ran from January 25 to February 15, 2021, with 50 eligible applications received. This support had a budget allocation of €200,000 financed by national funds through the FCT budget, and the six selected projects will be financed between €24,812.96 and €35,995.77 per project, for a maximum duration of 10 months.

The projects will focus on the following lines of research and action: Hate speech on the internet (3 projects), Exposure of young people and children to hate speech (2 projects), and the legal framework for the crime of incitement to hatred (1 project).

Of the selected projects, five are coordinated by women and one by a man. The committee of experts that issued the scientific opinion in support of the decision of the Chair of the FCT Governing Board was composed of 12 members, eight women and four men. The success rate of applications was 12%. The projects will be developed by the following institutions: the Alternative and Resistance Women's Union (UMAR), the Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Research and Development in Lisbon (INESC-ID), the Network Center for Research in Anthropology (CRIA), the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Porto, ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon, and the New University of Lisbon.

The launch of this helpline by FCT followed recommendations from several European and international bodies to strengthen comprehensive knowledge of crimes of incitement to hatred and violence of a racist, xenophobic, gender-based, and homophobic nature, while also drawing attention to low reporting and participation rates. These concerns were 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, in various ways, of misinformation and segregation motivated by fake news (UN, 2020).

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, FCT has sought to support the development of Portuguese science to combat Covid-19 and mitigate its impact on society, having even launched several exceptional funding lines. The following initiatives are noteworthy: Gender Research 4 Covid-19; RESEARCH 4 COVID-19 (with two editions); Call Studentships DOCTORATES 4 COVID-19, Call R&D projects AI 4 COVID-19: Data Science and Artificial Intelligence in Public Administration; Summer with Science, in collaboration with the Directorate-General for Higher Education (DGES).