British Columbia’s Human Rights Commissioner says the province is facing a “reckoning” as hate in society rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kasari Govender released a nearly 500-page report Tuesday detailing the results of her office’s public inquiry into hate incidents during the pandemic.
It offers a dozen recommendations, including a call to create a centralized system for reporting incidents of hate that connects victims with counselling, helps them navigate the legal system, and collects data to analyze trends.
“While hate has deep roots in our society, it has risen sharply during the pandemic. Once you have traversed this mountain of evidence, it becomes impossible to deny that we’re at a reckoning,” the report concludes.
“In our hyper-polarized society,we must be decisive in our compassion and creative in devising non-violent responses to hate.”
The report says hate incidents have increased dramatically during the pandemic, disproportionately impacting marginalized communities, along with increases in gender-based violence, and online hate.
At the same time, it says both legal responses to hate and government responses have been “largely ineffective.”
The report says police reported hate crimes in B.C. in 2021 were 118 per cent higher than in 2019.
In the same period, police reported hate incidents targeting Indigenous people in B.C. were up 367 per cent, incidents against Black people rose 112 per cent, those targeting southeast and East Asian people were up 181 per cent and hate against South Asian people increased 78 per cent.
Hate occurrences aimed at people based on religion was up 74 per cent, while it increased nine per cent based on people’s sexual orientation, the report says.
Govender warns that while the numbers show increases, there is also “significant” under-reporting to police regarding hate events and most public bodies don’t collect that information.
The report says there’s no tracking…
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