What is the Philippine LGBT Hate Crime Watch?

The Philippine LGBT Hate Crime Watch

Vision

A Philippine Society free of prejudice, bias, hate and violence against LGBT People.

Mission

The Philippine LGBT Hate Crime Watch is committed to defend the lives, safety, and security of LGBT people from hate, prejudice and bias through participatory action research, education, legislative advocacy and networking.

Goals

External Goal (1) To increase the number of LGBT people in the Philippines who are aware of the dangers of hate crimes.

External Goal (2) To establish a unified and organized community that actively advocates against hate crimes.

External Goal (3) To sustain a legislative advocacy to influence state and non-state actors to establish mechanisms to combat hate crimes.

Internal Goal (1) To increase online membership by 300% in the next year.

Internal Goal (2) To establish and sustain a well-represented and diverse volunteer base.

Internal Goal (3) To create a credible and accessible database on hate crimes in the Philippines.

Internal Goal (4) To build capacity on research, education, and advocacy.

Current Organizational Members:

· Ladlad Party-list

· Queer Pagan Network

· Amnesty International – Philippines

· Rainbow Rights Project Inc.

· Metropolitan Community Church - Quezon City

· Gabriela Women’s Party

· Pro-Gay Philippines

· Institute for Social Studies and Action

· Akei

Added 20 September 2011: Leyte Gay Association

Added 25 September 2011: Bayan Muna Partylist

Added 25 October 2011: EngendeRights

Added 25 October 2011: WomenLead

The Philippine LGBT Hate Crime Watch is:

— An inclusive, diverse, non-partisan, community-oriented group of individuals and organizations who strive to defend the lives, safety, and security of LGBT people from Anti-LGBT hate, prejudice, bias, and violence.

— Seeking to expand its membership and foster an activist community through social media advocacy, once-a-month open-invite gatherings, and once-a-month visitations of LGBT Rights Organizations and LGBT Community Organizations

— Going to capacitate Members (new and old) on hate crime and other LGBT Rights issues through the online channels:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/philippinelgbthatecrimewatch/

(by fostering online discussion)

http://thephilippinelgbthatecrimewatch.blogspot.com/

(by disseminating studies and reading materials)

http://twitter.com/#!/reighben

(by disseminating information and announcement through micro-blogging)

And through the gatherings and visitations by discussing local LGBT rights issues, Human Rights frameworks, and crowd-sourcing feasible, community-oriented solutions in fighting Anti-LGBT prejudice, bias, hate and violence.

— Aiming to break the silence and apathy towards LGBT Rights issues through its social media advocacy and the informal gatherings it shall conduct on a regular basis

— Looking into launching formal projects through the aide and partnership of its CSO member and allies that focus on innovative activities to: strengthen local, national and international networks for LGBT Rights Defenders and Organizations; mainstream International Human Rights frameworks in local activism; and developing comprehensive advocacy plans for the establishment , implementation and maintenance of state and non-state mechanisms and remedies that promote, protect, respect and fulfill the Human Rights of LGBT People.

The Philippine LGBT Hate Crime Watch Defines (LGBT-targeted) Hate Crimes as:

When we say “crime” it would mean any criminal offense or violation as per national laws and the internationally signed Human Rights Conventions, Standards, and Commitments. It must also involve the following:

— The victim is a member or perceived member of the LGBT Community, or is associated with the LGBT community

— There is an element of prejudice (even in intimate and family relationships)

We based our definitions on:

· The British Model:

UK’s Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) definition of hate crime. It is: ‘any hate incident, which constitutes a criminal offence, perceived by the victim or any other person as being motivated by prejudice or hate’. A hate incident is defined as ‘any incident, which may or may not constitute a criminal offence, which is perceived by the victim or any other person as being motivated by prejudice or hate’.

— The American Model:

U.S. Department of Justice Training Guide for Hate Crime Data Collection defines these crimes as a criminal offense committed against a person or property which is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, ethnicity/national origin, or sexual-orientation.

— The European Model

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights’ publication, Preventing and responding to hate crimes, defines Hate Crimes as

(1) an act that constitutes an offence under criminal law;

and

(2) in committing the crime, the perpetrator acts on the basis of prejudice or bias. Perpetrators of such crimes select their victims because of their prejudice or bias, or otherwise termed as negative opinions, intolerance or hatred towards any of the following

characteristics: race, ethnicity, language, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity or other status

Challenges for the Anti-Hate Crime Advocacy in the Philippines:

— Because of Apathy, prejudice , bias, acts of discrimination and violence towards LGBT People born out of bigotry goes un-noticed.

— There are no coordinated and comprehensive state and non-state mechanisms that measure the nature, occurrence, variation, and extent of Anti-LGBT prejudice, bias, and violence.

Taken together this means:

— Many LGBT people themselves are not aware of their Human Rights and does not recognize that many of the social, political and economic problems they face are born out of anti-LGBT prejudice and bias.

— Many LGBT Filipinos are not actively advocating against anti-LGBT Prejudice, bias, and violence.

And

— There are no current mechanisms, attuned to Philippine Social, Cultural, and Political Realities, to study, identify, prevent, and resolve Hate Crimes

AND THAT IS WHY……

We made the Philippine LGBT Hate Crime Watch to face and overcome these challenges!

And It all starts with YOU or YOUR Organization joining the Advocacy!

You can download the Hate Crime Watch database and other materials through the blog: http://thephilippinelgbthatecrimewatch.blogspot.com/ (the links are at the left-hand corner of the screen :) )

And join the blog fest! Blog for LGBT Rights: http://thephilippinelgbthatecrimewatch.blogspot.com/2011/09/lgbt-rights-blog-fest.html