Commission's harassment inquiry welcomed

Sunil Peck

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is urging disabled people to share their experiences of disability-related harassment.

The commission investigation will also look at whether transport providers and public bodies like councils, police forces and schools are fulfilling their legal obligation to prevent disability-related harassment like name-calling, intimidation, bullying or violence.

At the end of the Inquiry, councils, the police, schools, social housing and other public bodies, bus and train companies found not to be doing enough to tackle the problem and to protect the human rights of disabled people could face legal action to force them to comply with their legal obligations.

According to figures from the Crown Prosecution Service, at least one person on average appears in court every working day charged with a crime against a disabled person, nearly half of which involve violence.

But the commission says it has already gathered evidence which suggests that many more incidents of targeted violence or hostility go unreported or are not dealt with properly by social housing bodies, social services teams, crime prevention units, public transport and other public bodies in Britain.

Mike Smith, who chairs the commission's disability committee and who is the lead Commissioner for the Inquiry, said that harassment was a daily reality for many disabled people.

He said: “Media reports of the appalling treatment of disabled people at the hands of their abusers are horrific reminders of what can ultimately happen when public bodies don’t act or don’t know what to do."

He added: "By highlighting the failures as well as learning from examples of good practice, the Commission’s Inquiry will help public bodies try to ensure that future tragedies are prevented and transform the way that the people of Britain value and respect disabled people."

The Minister for Disabled People, Maria Miller (pictured), welcomed the inquiry and called on disabled people to share their experiences of harassment and examples of positive work done to tackle it.

She said: “Bullying and harassment can all too often escalate into serious hate crimes against disabled people that we have all heard about.  Harassment in any form is totally unacceptable.

“Everyone in society has the right to live life in safety and with security.  For disabled people and for those people with long term health conditions, safety and security is a right that can’t be taken for granted."

Anne Novis, who leads on hate crime for the UK Disabled People’s Council, said: "I'm really pleased this is happening, it should have happened years ago."

She added: "We're already beginning to see some results because a lot more police services in particular have started to promote their reporting services around hate crime which they didn't do for disabled people before this year."

Evidence is being taken until September 10 2010.

*For more information about the inquiry and how to give evidence visit www.equalityhumanrights.com/disabilityharassmentfi