Battling hate crime Gavin backs charity’s war on prejudice against disabled
An MP has praised the efforts of a charity campaigning to put an end to disability hate crime.
Gavin Newlands, SNP MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North, gave his backing to I Am Me, which works to raise awareness of prejudiced-based attitudes and behaviours and provide help for vulnerable individuals who are facing discrimination.
Mr Newlands met with Carol Burt, project manager of I Am Me and Debbie Campbell, project initiatives officer, to hear about some of the work the charity does.
He said: “It was a great pleasure to meet with Carol and Debbie from I Am Me Scotland to learn about their fantastic work to tackle disability hate crime.
“This is a relatively new charity and I’m amazed at how far they’ve come in a short space of time.”
I Am Me was set up in Renfrewshire in 2012 and since its advent has been campaigning to raise awareness of hate crime in co- operation with Police Scotland. The charity recently developed a smartphone app which provides help to vulnerable individuals who are lost, confused, scared or facing discrimination.
Mr Newlands praised the Keep Safe app, adding: “The Keep Safe app – which has been supported by Renfrewshire Council, Police Scotland and others - will provide assistance to those disabled individuals who are requiring a safe space.
“It’s important that we continue to support charities like I Am Me to ensure that we can live in a society where the most vulnerable are free from abuse.”
Around 62,000 hate crimes are committed against disabled people each year in the UK and the overwhelming majority of this goes unreported.
Keep Safe initiative works in partnership with Police Scotland to ensure the safety of vulnerable people and raise awareness of the seriousness of the offence.
Carol said: “Disability hate crime remains one of the most under reported crimes in the UK and we are working with disabled people, young people and the wider community to raise awareness of the impact that incidents can have and the importance of reporting.
“Keep Safe is an award winning partnership with Police Scotland that works directly with businesses and community groups to create a network of Keep Safe places for people to seek support if they are lost, scared, vulnerable or they have been a victim of crime.
“The Keep Safe Scotland app can be downloaded free from iOS and Android.”
For more information on I Am Me Scotland, visit: www.iammescotland. co.uk