There is a new way to report acts of hate and discrimination in Chatham-Kent.
The Chatham-Kent Victim Services has announced a new online community reporting tool that will serve as a central location for reporting incidents of hate and discrimination in the community outside of law enforcement.
As part of the Victim Crisis Assistance Ontario program, Chatham-Kent Victim Services is equipped to provide emotional support and referrals to appropriate community resources should those who report need support.
Some incidents that might be reported include harassment, intimidation, threats, witnessing or seeing vandalism due to race, ethnic origin, language, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disabilities, or other identities.
Speaking on AM800's The Shift, Jason Brown, Volunteer and Community Engagement Coordinator with Chatham-Kent Victim Services, says there has been a spike in Chatham for reports of hate and discrimination.
"Whether it's racism, or homophobia, transphobia, people being targeted because of their gender, sexism, we are seeing an increase in reports publicly. And of course, things are in the media and in the news a lot more, so people may feel more comfortable coming forward outside of law enforcement with this new tool."
He says it's important to have the data from the reports.
"We will be reporting high-level data to the community, kind of who's being targeted, where in Chatham-Kent on a broad level, to help inform a community response. We don't know where it's happening or what's happening unless we have data, and that was a big piece of getting this going. We all know hate and discrimination happen, but we can't make decisions to respond to it unless we know where and what's happening."
Brown says this tool will help those who have been victims to heal.
"Anyone who feels they've been discriminated against, we want to hear from them. The more reports we get where people feel they've been a victim of hate, or discriminated against, gives us a clearer picture of what we need to do to heal and recover in Chatham-Kent."
Those who submit a report are given the option to submit anonymously, or they can provide their contact information if they would like support from the Victim Services team.
Those looking for more information, or those looking to submit a report can find more information by clicking here.
All information provided to Chatham-Kent Victim Services is confidential unless a client consents for information to be shared.