Police-reported hate crimes down in 2011: Statistics Canada

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OTTAWA (NEWS1130) – Statistics Canada says police-reported hate crimes declined for a second consecutive year in 2011.

But while the number hate crimes based on race, ethnicity, and religion went down, there was a 10 per cent increase in crimes based on sexual orientation.

Nobel Kelly with the Pride Education Network says it’s possible that more people are coming forward to police.

“Many of these kinds of crimes go unreported because many of the victims feel ashamed or they don’t want to bring more attention to themselves. They don’t want to be seen as gay or lesbian because maybe they haven’t come out yet.”

On the other hand, there could be more crimes of this nature that are still not being reported.

“It is a wake-up call to all politicians and leaders to say ‘hey, the work is not over.'”

The agency says police reported 1,332 hate crimes in 2011 (3.9 hate crimes per 100,000 members of the population), a rate that’s five per cent lower than in 2010.

In 2011, three primary motivations accounted for more than 95 per cent of hate crimes, with race or ethnicity representing more than half of the total.

Religious hate crimes comprised 25 per cent, while crimes motivated by sexual orientation made up 18 per cent.

Between 2010 and 2011, police-reported hate crimes motivated by religion declined 17 per cent and those focused on race or ethnicity slipped four per cent, while those based on sexual orientation increased.

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