GFTU BGCM 2019 Minutes

campaigns for social justice. Disability hate crime is real and what is shocking

from Home Office statistics is that it is increasing. Reports from Freedom of

Information requests to police forces and the Government’s own stats which I

have got on my table, but forgot to bring up here with me, clearly demonstrate

that hate crime is on the increase and it cannot all be attributed to better

reporting and recording of crime by police, although this fact is very much

laboured in that document. Government stats that there has been an 8% rise.

Statistics from Freedom of Information requests directly to police forces show a

33% increase in disability hate crime across England and Wales and, yes,

there are particular hot spots which may surprise you. It surprised me. West

Yorkshire saw more disability hate crime than any other regions, but

Humberside and Gloucestershire saw the biggest increases of 167% and 132%

respectively. Personally, having lived in Gloucester most of my life I am

appalled at this, because I know that it was previously known for being a

tolerant place to live with tolerant attitudes.

So why is this hateful crime continuing and increasing, not just in these areas,

but across the country? Why, you may ask, is an education union putting this

motion? Maybe why not? Conference, it is because this is a matter of

education and education, as we all know as unions, is not restricted to school

or between the ages of four and 18 and, of course, I could talk about education

funding until the cows come home and the decimation of adult education, but

luckily we have heard a lot about that already this afternoon. We as unions

have options and, I would argue, a mandate which goes back to the origins of

the trade union movement to protect and promote education in all its forms to

provide our members with choice and opportunity which enables them to

challenge in the name of, and to achieve, progress. Conference, it is through

education that we will change attitudes, those hateful attitudes which lead to

disability hate crime in all its forms. We have the opportunity and we should

embrace it to make positive change. We have heard this afternoon that trade

union education is often the only further education some of our members have

access to. We have got to use it for good.

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