Every year, hundreds of people in Poland become the victims of beatings, harassment and other crimes simply because of their identity or their belonging to a certain minority group. These hate crimes are a form of discrimination, have a pernicious and long-lasting impact on victims and communities and require a coherent and thorough response from policy makers, law enforcement officials and the criminal justice system. Polish authorities should amend the Criminal Code to ensure that crimes motivated by discrimination on any grounds, including age, disability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation and social or economic status, are investigated and prosecuted as hate crimes.
