| 
4.1.8 Types of NGOs and Their Approaches
As has been shown, there are diverse approaches to activities concerning hate crimes among the organizations and groups studied. Various fields of activity are presented below to help exhibit this diversity.
Table 10 illustrates that the least common tasks among the studied organizations are the systematic monitoring of hate crimes and the systematic support of victims of hate crimes (or the organization’s ability to offer victim assistance). Only the two LGBT NGOs provide, or are ready to provide, victim assistance in a structured way. These associations are also involved in the collection and analysis of data concerning the victimization of sexual minorities in Poland (see the discussion in 4.1.3.2.3 above). Nigdy Więcej is the only NGO involved in the comprehensive monitoring of hate crimes and its victims. The Association for Crisis Intervention can potentially be included as a victim-assistance NGO; however, due to limited financial capacities, this kind of activity has not yet been carried out in the long term. In-community forms of hate crime monitoring and assistance to victims of racist attacks are, to a significant extent, also part of the activities for the Association of Roma in Poland. Some potential for organized victim assistance might also lie in the general human rights NGOs and several minority organizations that are involved in anti-discrimination interventions and/or anti-racist education.
Table 11 shows the forms of assistance available to actual or potential victims of hate crimes provided by different organizations. Lambda Warsaw (antidiscrimination and crisis intervention in the LGBT community) and the Association for Crisis Intervention (hate crime intervention/ mediation in Roma communities in the Małopolska region) are two of the most specialized NGOs with the most potential for comprehensive victim assistance, i.e. psychological support as well as legal aid. However, most NGOs and groups use their connections to external legal aid institutions. Since some victims experience linguistic or cultural barriers, local group leaders often continue to provide them with assistance throughout the legal process. This kind of personalized help is sometimes combined with local leaders’ involvement in mediation to prevent the escalation of violence in inter-group tensions or conflicts (especially for the Roma community and migrants/refugees from the North Caucasus). Self-defense groups, the most extreme form of conflict resolution, have been included as a category in this table due to the fact that this form of dealing with hate crimes is considered a viable option in some communities.
Table 10: Major activities of NGOs/groups studied
| Name of organization/group | Systematic monitoring of hate crimes and public intervention | Organized but non-systematic monitoring or public intervention | Systematic victim assistance | Anti- discrimination work | Education for tolerance including anti-racism, human rights etc.) | Preservation and promotion of a minority culture |
| Anti-Fascist organizations | ||||||
| Nigdy Więcej | X | X | ||||
| Anti-Nazi Group in Piła | X | X | ||||
| Nigdy Więcej Group in Oświęcim | X | X | ||||
| General Human Rights NGOs | ||||||
| Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights | X | X | ||||
| Polish Humanitarian Action | X | |||||
| Association for Crisis Intervention | X | X | X | |||
| LGBT organizations | ||||||
| Campaign Against Homophobia | X | X | X | X | ||
| Lambda Warsaw | X | X | X | X | ||
| Organizations of officially recognized ethnic or national minorities | ||||||
| Russian Cultural and Educational Association | X | |||||
| German Students Union | X | |||||
| Association of Roma in Poland | X | X | X | X | ||
| Lemko Song and Dance Ensemble Kyczera | X | |||||
| Union of Jewish Religious Communities in the Republic of Poland | X | |||||
| Social and Cultural Society of Jews in Poland | X | |||||
| Jewish Cultural Association Beit Warszawa | X | |||||
| Organizations of immigrant minorities | ||||||
| Rescue Foundation | X | X | ||||
| Ingush Unity | X | |||||
| Solidarity and Friendship Association of the Vietnamese in Poland | X | X | ||||
| Muslim Centre for Education and Culture | X | |||||
| Mongolian Student Community | X | X | X | |||
| Arabia.pl Association | X | X | ||||
| Kazakh Community | X | X | ||||
Table 11: Assistance provided to actual or potential victims of hate crimes (1)
| Name of organization/group | Psycho-social assistance | Legal assistance | Cultural and linguistic assistance by a leader | Assistance provided by individual members, leaders | Major forms of preventing hate crimes | |
| Inter-group mediation | Self-defense group (2) | |||||
| Anti-Fascist organizations or groups | ||||||
| Anti-Nazi Group in Piła | X | |||||
| General Human Rights NGOs | ||||||
| Polish Humanitarian Action | X | |||||
| LGBT organizations | ||||||
| Lambda Warsaw | X | X | ||||
| Organizations of officially recognized ethnic or national minorities | ||||||
| Russian Cultural and Educational Association | X | |||||
| Association of Roma in Poland | X | X | X | X | ||
| Union of Jewish Religious Communities in the Republic of Poland | X | |||||
| Social and Cultural Society of Jews in Poland | ||||||
| Jewish Cultural Association Beit Warszawa | X | |||||
| Organizations of immigrant minorities | ||||||
| Rescue Foundation | X | X | X | X | ||
| Society for African Affairs at the Jagiellonian University | X | X | ||||
| Kazakh Community | X | X | ||||
1. Only organizations that reported forms of victim assistance during the interview have been included in this table.
2. Self-defense was reported as a possible form of assistance that has been successful, but it was not organized by these organizations.
(OPP)
