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50,000 grant to Victim Support will provide new staff and training
Stonewall
Stonewall Cymru's new service to help hate crime victims in Wales
Stonewall Cymru and Victim Support have launched a new service to help the victims of homophobic and transphobic hate crime in Wales.
The scheme aims to improve confidence in the justice system among both victims and witnesses through a £50,000 grant from the Equality and Human Rights Commission for new staff and training for Victim Support.
Gwynedd councillor Andrew Hinchliff, chair of North Wales Police's lesbian and gay liaison committee, said victims will often experience a number of attacks before they contact the police, if they report them at all.
"There's been a lot of evidence that, along with domestic abuse, homophobic abuse goes unreported...most people will take abusive situations seven or eight or nine or 10 times before they do anything, let alone go to the police," he told BBC News.
Gaynor McKeown, Victim Support's regional manager for Wales, said the grant would enable the organisation to provide a more "robust" service to victims of homophobic and transphobic crimes through the provision of more staff and volunteers.
"It's essential that all victims have someone they can turn to for support, someone who will understand the issues and challenges they may face," she said.
"Victims and witnesses need easily accessible help and support to suit their needs - that's why we've set up this new service."
Kate Bennett, Wales director of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: "It is a sad fact that many people still experience hate crime just because they are gay, lesbian or transgender.
"The commission is working with a wide range of organisations to tackle the scourge of hate crime. We are determined that, working in partnership with others, we can address this blight on people's lives."
