Hate Crime

Introduction

Hate crimes are a menace in most parts of the world. It refers to violent action against individuals, properties or corporations because of their affiliations. Many people have suffered as a result of these misconducts. It has led to the destruction of properties, buildings and places of worship in many jurisdictions. The worst types of these offenses are an attack against individuals belonging to different races. Some of these injustices can be a simple assault against an individual without necessarily using weapons.

Additionally, most of these cases are based on religious or ethnic bias. Research indicates that African Americans are the largest groups that are at risk. The problem of racial hatred has been there for decades. It commenced during the 1960s during the civil rights movement. Though, most of the crimes originate from religious bias. Catholics and Jewish individuals are the most affected by hate crimes.

Moreover, most of these misconducts happened during the Second World War. It was the time when attempted to wipe out the Jewish. Another category of people that are worst affected by hate crimes are the gays and the lesbian community. This is because their actions are against the morals of society. These individuals face a lot of disgust from teenagers and adults. Most of them face verbal abuse from those who are against their behavior in the community. Despite that these crimes continue to occur, they are against the rules of natural justice. This essay will mainly focus on the significant animosity causes, their effects, and recommendations on how to eliminate the problem among people.

Causes of Hate Crimes

Hate offenses can be as a result of extremism. This is where children are taught to hold specific negative thoughts about a particular group of individuals. As a result, they grow up knowing that such kinds of individuals are their enemies. Radicalization is primarily based on religion. Therefore, people can use it to spread hatred against others which might result in violence. Another cause apart from faith that can cause this crime is political competition. Leaders can incite one group against others thus, leading to animosity (Brudholm, 2014). It is a common phenomenon where political leaders and their parties fail to focus on ideologies. Instead, they send negative messages that can incite the public to violence. This will eventually lead to a bad relationship between the competing groups.

Religious affiliation can also create problems among the members of the public. It can lead to hatred among faithful’s belonging to various religions. This challenge is brought about because of the lack of tolerance among different beliefs. Besides, ignorance might also result from hating among individuals from different races. Most of the people who practice discriminative practices may not be aware of its consequences to the community (Cheng, Ickes & Kenworthy, 2013).

Additionally, fear can also lead to offenses. It occurs where individuals from different races or religions are suspicious of each other. Therefore, they can end up disliking each other in society. Some of these crimes occur because it is a norm that has existed in some regions for long. Therefore, some individuals might not view it as a serious issue and the trend may also be passed to future generations.

Another cause of hate offense is ideological differences. A good example is the west who does not share the same ideology with most Arab speaking nations. It is the reason why most terrorists target them and other friendly countries. However, some nations like the US have managed to deal with the challenge by tackling the terrorist head-on. For instance, they manage to weaken the al-Qaida group and even killed their leader Osama bin Laden.

Effects

Hate crimes can result in insecurity in society. The community which has been insulted can retaliate as a way of showing their anger to the people victimizing them. This trend can lead to the loss of lives and the destruction of properties. Also, it can decrease the productivity of individuals as they cannot work peacefully (Dokmanovic, 2014). Secondly, it can create fear among individuals who have been mistreated. This anxiety can result in low self-esteem among persons as they will feel inferior to other individuals. It can also set a dangerous precedent for future generations. Children are likely to imitate what the adults’ do which can cause more problems in the future. Moreover, this trend can hinder individuals to access fundamental rights in life such as access to job opportunities. Therefore, they will be discriminated because of their race or religious associations.

Additionally, it can result in extremism which is now becoming a threat to humanity across the globe. Terrorists carry out attacks because of the hate they have towards a particular group of people. It is one of the ways they use to express their anger towards others. In some cases, it can result in the displacement of individuals from their homes because of the fear of being intimidated or even being killed. It is an unfortunate trend because it hinders development since individuals cannot continue with their businesses as usual.

Furthermore, it can lead to long-lasting conflicts between individuals from races or religions (KING & SUTTON, 2013). For instance, the black American’s and the Jewish people have been having a bad relationship with the whites. The challenge has existed for long, and some of the hate crimes were reported in 2017. These cases can be found in the FBI records in the US. Finally, It can have psychological effects on the victims. Most of them can suffer from mental stress for a long duration. Some of these offenses have been seen in most of the Middle East nations where Christian workers have faced exploitation in the past. Most of the victims usually develop suicidal thoughts and even end up committing suicide.

Recommendations

The problem of hate crime can be reduced through various interventions. One of the ways is by enacting laws that will help in eliminating the problem in society. Those who are found guilty of engaging in discriminative practices should be arrested and prosecuted immediately. The intervention can influence individuals to obey the law and have respect towards other people. Therefore, the public will embrace tolerance towards each other. As a result, this can create harmony among all the general public regardless of their race or religious affiliations. The government should also sensitize the people on the consequences of these offenses. In this case, the state should inform them how the attack can bring down a nation. This can motivate the members of the public to change their behaviors towards other individuals (Cheng, Ickes & Kenworthy, 2013). Thus, they can forget about the past and begin working as brothers and sisters. Leaders should also educate their followers to be tolerant of other people’s faiths. Such actions are vital in any community as they will assist individuals to co-exist with one another. This strategy is critical because most of the followers tend to obey their leaders. As a result, it will help to eliminate religious hatred in society. Finally, the intervention can reduce cold wars among the members of different faithful’s.

Extremism can also be decreased by investing in intelligence that will lead to the arrest and prosecution of the offenders. The step can assist in preventing future crimes from happening. Besides, governments should invest in youths by creating for them opportunities. This intervention will ensure that they are always busy. Therefore, they may not develop extremist thoughts. Politicians should also compete based on ideologies instead of focusing on personalities (KING & SUTTON, 2013). The leaders should also control their supporters and tell them to respect their opponents.

Additionally, group leaders in social media should punish those individuals who spread propaganda. This can eventually decrease the tensions that are usually created during the times of high political campaigns. Action should also be taken against leaders who incite the public through the use of hate speech. It can help in checking the conduct of people and ensuring that individuals respect the law.

Parents and teachers should teach children to embrace good morals. They should be informed about the need for respecting others. Moreover, they should be sensitized on the impact of negative hared in society. The curriculum developers should also ensure that topics that touch on social issues are incorporated in the syllabus (Dokmanovic, 2014). The step will ensure that all children benefit from the lessons which they can apply in their future lives. Ultimately, those who face hate crimes should report the matter to the relevant authorities. The main aim is to prevent the situation becomes worse. The victims should also exit the area and settle in a safe location if their lives are at risk.

Conclusion

The cases of dislike have been a significant threat to individuals living in different locations of the world. These challenges have been in existence for several decades. Several human rights h made efforts to eliminate the problem since the sixties.  Though, people continue to experience these offenses in society up to now. Most of the individuals are usually discriminated against because of their race and religion. Besides, others also face these crimes because of their ignorance. Most of these persons do not understand their rights, and they continue suffering in silence. The problem can hurt the members of society. This is also the source of conflict among most individuals who hold different opinions. Though, the stakeholders must take action to save the victims. One of the approaches is by sensitizing the masses to be aware of their rights. Therefore, they can defend themselves when faced with such situations. Besides, the culprits should be punished for their action to discourage such behaviors in the community. Another approach is to encourage individuals to be tolerant of other people’s beliefs and views. Extremism should also be condemned and discouraged openly, and youths should engage in nation building activities. Therefore, all these interventions are expected to eliminate hate crimes in society in the future.

 

 

References

Brudholm, T. (2014). Hate Crimes and Human Rights Violations. Journal Of Applied Philosophy, 32(1), 82-97. doi: 10.1111/japp.12079

Cheng, W., Ickes, W., & Kenworthy, J. (2013). The phenomenon of hate crimes in the United States. Journal Of Applied Social Psychology, 43(4), 761-794. doi: 10.1111/jasp.12004

Dokmanovic, M. (2014). Mechanisms of improving institutional capacities of the state to prevent hate speech and hate crimes. Temida, 17(2), 3-26. doi: 10.2298/tem1402003d

KING, R., & SUTTON, G. (2013). HIGH TIMES FOR HATE CRIMES: EXPLAINING THE TEMPORAL CLUSTERING OF HATE-MOTIVATED OFFENDING. Criminology, 51(4), 871-894. doi: 10.1111/1745-9125.12022