Learning Disability Week 2011 is fast approaching and this years campaign, led by national Mencap, will focus on hate crime. ‘Stand by me’ is a three year campaign, which will challenge the police, the criminal justice system and the courts to end hate crime against people with a learning disability.
People with a learning disability regularly experience a failure to respond to hate crime incidents by police, local authorities and other statutory agencies. These failures are underpinned by a justice system biased towards other forms of hate crime and a public attitude that fails to recognise the serious nature of these crimes.
People with a learning disability have the right to justice, to feel safe and to live free from fear, yet they are being denied this by things that could be so easily changed.
Many police services are doing good work, and their response is getting better. But these improvements are not going far enough or fast enough to have a real impact on stopping disability hate crime.
Mencap believes that by standing together we can end disability hate crime.
Watford Mencap will be holidng a range of events during learning disability week, to raise awarness of the campaign and to get people to sign a petition to pledge to stand by people with a learninig disabiltiy to tackle hate crime. Please look out for us on the following dates -
Monday 20th June- The Harlequin Shopping Centre
Tuesday 21st June- The Old Town Hall, 105 High Street, Rickmansworth
Wednesday 22nd June- HCC event, Apsley Offices, Apsley
Thursday 23rd June- The Old Town Hall, 105 High Street, Rickmansworth
Friday 24th June- The Old Town Hall, 105 High Street, Rickmansworth
We are also asking local police to sign up and commit to 10 promises that will make a huge difference for the victims of disability hate crime. Click here for more information on the police promises.
From Monday 20th June you can support the campaign by signing up online at www.mencap.org.uk/standbyme. Alternatively, you can download a copy of the petition here, get your friends and family to sign it and send it back to us.