What is the difference between hate violence
and other forms of violence?
One issue that sets hate violence apart from
other acts of violence is the psychological damage that it
leaves behind.
Although any type of victimization carries with
it psychological consequences, certain types of emotional
reactions are more frequent among survivors of hate crimes.
These feelings include depression, anxiety, fear, stress, and
anger. The American Psychological Association has determined
that victims of hate crimes suffer the symptoms of
post-traumatic stress for up to five years, in comparison to
two years for victims of non-bias-related crimes.
Survivors of hate crimes are less likely than
victims of other types of violence to report attacks against
them to the police. It has been estimated that up to 80% of
bias-crimes are never reported to the authorities.
There are
many reasons for this. Groups at the receiving end of
discrimination, including LGBTIQ communities, have historically
also been the victims of law enforcement violence and bias, and
they
may fear that crimes against them will not be taken seriously
or that the police reaction will be unsympathetic or hostile.
In addition, survivors of anti-LGBTIQ hate
crimes may be concerned that reporting attacks against them
may expose them to increased risk by being "outed" to families
and communities. In many parts of the country, including
Colorado, individuals can be fired from jobs or evicted from
their rental homes just for being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or
transgender.
Many hate crime survivors suffer the trauma of
victimization in silence rather than to expose themselves to
these forms of "secondary victimization."
Another way in which hate violence can differ
from other acts of violence is the level of severity. Hate-motivated assaults often involve multiple attackers and a more
prolonged attack that results in worse injuries for the victim
than if the attack was, for example, solely
economically motivated.
Perpetrators of bias-motivated
violence are sometimes known to the victim — a fellow student,
neighbor, coworker, etc.
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