Discussing Hate Crime Legislation

Legislation alone will not eliminate hate crimes. We must take a comprehensive approach that tackles the root causes of prejudice, intolerance, and hate. This requires a cross-departmental strategy that includes education, early intervention, and collaborative working across all departments, alongside community and voluntary partners. Schools, for example, play a crucial role in shaping young minds. By integrating lessons on diversity and inclusion into the curriculum, we can foster a culture of understanding and acceptance from an early age.

The harsh reality is that two years of stalemate has cost us crucial time in this legislative mandate. Our amendment, which regrets the lack of progress over the past three and a half years due to the lack of a functioning Executive and Assembly; and welcomes the Justice Minister’s commitment to legislate for foundational hate crime provisions as part of her legislative programme in this mandate seeks to recognise these challenges and proposes a realistic way forward. Ultimately, with resources so constrained both in terms of funding and the human resources required to develop comprehensive legislation, this amendment seeks to offer a pragmatic approach to ensure Northern Ireland does not fail in tackling hate crime.