New project Standing Together Against Hate
Leicester is one of over 40 universities and colleges in England that has been awarded funding totalling £1.8 million from HEFCE to improve responses to hate crime and online harassment on campus.
Hate crime is an escalating problem within the UK, affecting people of all ages and from all backgrounds. Research evidence shows that that hate crime and online harassment causes significant emotional and physical damage to the wellbeing of victims, and spreads fear and concern within wider communities.
In response to this growing problem, HEFCE has provided funding to more than 40 universities across England to improve responses to hate crime, including Leicester’s project ‘Standing Together Against Hate’. This project will lead to the development of new student-led awareness-raising campaigns and bystander interventions, the delivery of hate crime training to students and staff, and the opening of a new third-party reporting centre.
This project will be led by Dr Stevie-Jade Hardy and Professor Neil Chakraborti from our Department of Criminology, and delivered collaboratively with Leicester’s Students’ Union (SU), Student Support Services, Estates and Campus Services and the Equalities Unit. Dr Hardy and Professor Chakraborti will draw from their pioneering work within the Centre for Hate Studies to maximise the project’s impact both within and beyond the University, and have established a network of local public- and third-sector organisations to support the programme of activities.
Learn more about the Harms of Hate in an award-winning video below: