Hate Crime Targeting Migrants: Consultation with Civil Society Organisations

Racist and xenophobic hate crimes targeting migrants remain a serious concern across the OSCE region. Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers can be subjected to physical assaults, threats, harassment, attacks on property and other forms of degrading treatment motivated by bias.

Such crimes often take place against a wider backdrop of societal polarization and anti-migrant narratives, including online. By targeting people because of characteristics such as their actual or perceived ethnic origin, nationality, language, religion or migration status, hate crimes can have lasting consequences not only for individual victims but also for the communities to which they belong. They can deepen divisions, undermine social cohesion and create a wider climate of exclusion and intimidation.

OSCE participating States have committed themselves to combating discrimination, intolerance and xenophobia towards migrants and their families, including through effective responses to hate crime. Civil society plays an important role in these efforts, including by monitoring and reporting hate-motivated incidents and supporting victims.

About the consultation

ODIHR’s Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department and Migration and Freedom of Movement Unit are developing an Explainer on Hate Crime Targeting Migrants to support civil society organizations in identifying, monitoring and reporting such crimes.

The publication will provide a practitioner-friendly definition of hate crime, examine trends in hate crimes targeting migrants across the OSCE region using insights from ODIHR’s annual Hate Crime Report, and offer a practical checklist for civil society organizations involved in monitoring and reporting.

The consultation will bring together a small group of civil society representatives to provide feedback on the draft Explainer. Participants will also discuss barriers and gaps faced by civil society organizations in addressing hate crime targeting migrants, identify priorities for ODIHR’s future work and explore opportunities for structured co-operation.

The consultation will take place on the margins of the 2026 Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, giving participants an opportunity to engage with relevant discussions taking place during the Conference.

Participation

Participation in this consultation is by invitation only.

The meeting will bring together approximately 15 civil society representatives, with attention to gender and geographic balance and diversity of backgrounds.

Contact

If you have any questions, please contact Ella Dodd, ODIHR's Migration and Freedom of Movement Adviser at Ella.Dodd@odihr.pl and/or Mikaela Christiansson, Adviser on Combating Racism and Xenophobia at Mikaela.Christiansson@odihr.pl.