Hate crimes recording: Recommendations of the international bodies and their significance to Serbia

• Main Author: Dokmanović Mirjana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Victimology Society of Serbia and Prometej-Beograd 2015-01-01
• Series: Temida
• Subjects: hate crimes; aggravating circumstance; crime recording; Fundamental Rights Agency; OSCE
• Online Access: http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/1450-6637/2015/1450-66371502059D.pdf
• ISSN: 1450-6637; 2406-0941

Data recording and keeping the official unique database on hate crimes contributes to increasing visibility of this type of crimes, as well as to formulating effective policies of preventing discrimination, racism and non-tolerance. At the end of 2012, the Republic of Serbia introduced the aggravating circumstance in sentencing crimes motivated by hatred on the basis of race, religion belief, national or ethnical belonging, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity. The Action Plan of the Implementation of the Strategy of Prevention and Protection against Discrimination (2014) foresees introducing the unique database on hate crimes by the end of 2016. The subject of the paper is the analysis of the importance of establishing this type of database from the perspective of acknowledging victims’ rights. The relevant activities and the recommendations of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) and the OSCE to the member states, with respect to efficient recording data on hate crimes, have been also introduced. The aim of the paper is to contribute developing of the methodology of data recording of hate crimes in the Republic of Serbia in line with the given recommendations of the FRA and the OSCE. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 179044: Razvoj metodologije evidentiranja kriminaliteta kao osnova efikasnih mera za njegovo suzbijanje i prevenciju]