Hate crime fuels emotional trauma in people with apartheid scars

If you are poor, black or foreign you are more likely to experience hate crime, a local study has revealed.

Academics at the University of South Africa (Unisa) set out to understand the demographics and situations that put people at higher risk of emotional trauma as a result of hate crimes or hate speech.

They found that incidents driven by hate tend to be more hurtful than forms of intimidation that are not motivated by underlying bias.

Reporting their findings in the South African Journal of Psychology, the academics said hate crime in SA was compounded by the legacy of racial discrimination that has resulted in black Africans experiencing trauma, exploitation and oppression.

On top of that, low socioeconomic status often means this group cannot afford psychological care to deal with the repeated emotional trauma and intense feelings of displacement caused by prejudice.

In what researchers Amori Marais, Juan Nel and Rajen Govender described as the first research on hate incidents in SA, they said the consequences of prejudice extend beyond the emotional realm.

They attributed black Africans’ heightened vulnerability to emotional distress as a result of hate victimisation to possible retraumatisation, oppression and exploitation experienced during apartheid.

Knowing the perpetrator of hate victimisation was also considered as high risk for emotional trauma for victims.

The psychologists argued that structural violence and economic impoverishment during apartheid still determines social hierarchies and access to resources.

Emotional changes refer to distress or trauma experienced by victims, which may manifest as guilt, grief, fear, anxiety, severe panic, denial, irritability, depression and uncertainty.

Individuals with lower socio-economic status and living in communities classified as dangerous were at higher risk for emotional problems based on feelings of vulnerability, anger and reduced belief in the goodwill of the world.

The feelings correlate with a higher prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anger, depressive symptoms and anxiety among victims of hate incidents in previous studies.

Of more than 400 participants surveyed by the Unisa team, only 26 sought psychological health care, supporting a view that psychological services are still perceived as largely Eurocentric and discounting of African traditions.

“The results enable greater insight into victim experiences of emotional consequences and motivate prioritising psychosocial health care, targeted interventions, and relevant legislative and policy frameworks for victims and communities affected by hate incidents,” said lead researcher Marais.

“Evidently, economic and social positioning has a strong relationship to emotional consequences.”

Marais argued that emotional changes in individuals and the workforce could have devastating consequences for the economy.

“A combination of  economic and emotional consequences could manifest as a decrease in productivity at work and poor labour force participation,” she said.

“As economic changes predominantly refer to job loss, which affects pride and assessment of success, an individual’s sense of achievement and ultimately their identity is impacted. Thus, economic disruptions affect victims on a deeper psychological level.

“The results of this study are very timeous and useful in informing current legislative and policy responses to address hate incidents across the country.

“The results indicate the necessity of multilevel responses to effectively offset hate victimisation, including hate crime legislation in the broad sense, which will send a clear message that such incidents will not be tolerated.”

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