Disabled woman speaks out after man spits in eye
AWOMAN from Glasgow has revealed her horror at falling victim to disability hate crime, after her eye was spat in at a city train station. The woman, named only as Sam, has Down’s Syndrome, and was left shocked after the entirely unprovoked and vile incident.
She decided to speak out as Police Scotland launched its #DontTolerateHate campaign at Buchanan Bus Station.
One in five people in Scotland are registered as having a disability, but the category of hate crime accounts for only four per cent of reports to Police Scotland.
This leads the force to believe this type of offence is significantly under-reported – something they want to change.
Describing her experience, Sam said: “I get the train to and from my work every day.
“I’ve been working as a catering assistant for 12 years.
“Everyone is always very nice to me at the stations and on the trains – they know me.
“One day I was waiting on the platform for my train and an older man wearing a green jacket came up to me and spat in my eye for no reason – then just walked on without saying anything.
“I was just standing waiting on the train. I don’t understand why someone would do that. I felt shocked.
“I didn’t report it to police myself as I didn’t know it was a crime but when I told my dad we reported it.
“I just don’t want this to happen to anyone else which is why I wanted to be part of this campaign. I want people to report hate crime to police.”
The campaign is being supported by charity I Am Me Scotland as well as people with lived experience of disability hate crime who have spoken out about their experiences, and feature in the campaign posters.
Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie, Police Scotland strategic lead for partnerships, prevention and community wellbeing, said: “Disability hate crime is never acceptable.
“It is deplorable for anyone to be targeted because of any kind of disability. Sadly it’s happening day in and day out across the country, but people should never just accept it as a part of life.
“Our message to everyone – whether they’ve been a victim of hate crime, or witnessed it – is this: don’t tolerate hate.
“Please report this kind of behaviour. It is crucial everyone plays their part in stamping out this kind of insidious victimisation, and help us bring offenders to justice.”
The force said it understands there are many reasons behind the lack of reporting – including victims not knowing who to talk to, thinking abuse is just a part of life4, or not fully understanding what amounts to a hate crime.
Assistant Chief Constable Ritchie added: “We understand it can be difficult for people to speak to the police about an emotional issue like this, but we will help and support you in any way we can throughout the entire process.”