Hate incidents hurt individuals and communities, and reporting them allows the University and the Police to understand better and deal with what is happening.

Hate incidents and crimes include bullying, harassment and sexual harassment, which are contrary to the Equality Act 2010 and the University's Disciplinary Regulations.

If you think you have experienced a hate incident, it may be hard to know what to do or how to feel. What happened was not your fault. What you do next is your choice.

Steps to Take Immediately

  • Are you in immediate danger? If you are in immediate danger or seriously injured, you can phone 999. 
  • If possible, try to find somewhere you feel safe. 

On campus: If you feel unsafe or need help, phone Security on 0114 225 8888.

Off campus: You can phone 101 for the Police.

Talk

  • To a friend. Talking things through with someone you trust can sometimes help. 
  • To the Report and Support Team in Student Wellbeing. We can help you to go through your options, including reporting the incident to Police, to the University, or to access medical and emotional support only and make no formal report. To access this support, please report with your details here: Report - Report + Support - Sheffield Hallam University and you will be contacted to arrange an appointment. 
  • To the Multi-faith Chaplaincy. Confidential personal support to people of any religion or none. 
  • Independent specialist support. There are a number of support services you can phone or visit to talk about what has happened to you, such as Stop Hate UK. 

Report

Report to the Police

If you want to report directly to the Police you can phone 999 for an emergency or 101 for non-emergency. South Yorkshire Police have an online form for reporting hate crime. 

Report to the Police using a third party organisation or online form. True Vision and Stop Hate UK both offer online reporting.

Report the Incident Anonymously

You can report online to Crimestoppers or call 0800 555 111.

Sheffield Hallam Students' Union is a designated Hate Crime Reporting Centre, which means they provide a free, confidential service to help support you if you feel you have been the victim of a hate crime or hate incident, and they can assist you in reporting any incidents as either a victim or a witness. 

Report to the University

Report and Support

If you disclose through Report and Support, you can report anonymously or you can speak to a specialist member of the Student Wellbeing team. We can help you to go through your options: including reporting the incident to Police, to the University, or to access medical and emotional support only and make no formal report. To access this support, please report with personal details and you will be contacted to arrange an appointment. 

Report the Incident through University Disciplinary Processes

A specialist member of Student Wellbeing team can help you make a report to the disciplinary team.

If you choose to name a member of staff or a student in your report, there are procedures which set out the actions the University may take. This may include carrying out conduct investigations.

When you report an allegation of misconduct to the University, we have a dedicated team who will consider your allegation and liaise with you regarding next steps. It is likely that you will be invited to meet with one of the team to discuss your allegation in detail to establish the details of the matter. We do this using student regulations and policies such as the Disciplinary Regulations for students and the Student Anti-Harassment Policy and Procedure which are available on the University website. 

The full range of possible sanctions is available in the Disciplinary Regulations, Sections 37 and 54.

Support

If you think you or someone you know has experienced a hate incident there are a variety of support options available, in addition to the reporting options listed above. You have the right to choose which support options you wish to access. 

Sheffield Hallam Support for Students

Student Wellbeing Service We have a range of different professionals including counsellors and mental health practitioners who can support students experiencing emotional and psychological difficulties. To access this support, please register.

Students' Union Advice Centre The Students' Union provides a confidential, non-judgemental and free service available to all Sheffield Hallam Students. It is independent from the University, so issues with the advice service will not appear on your file without your consent. The advice team provides specialist advice and support on academic issues such as concerns about your University experience, formal complaints and appeals, disciplinary hearings and academic misconduct investigations.

Student Support Advisers You have an allocated Student Support Adviser who can give advice around academic, course and welfare issues and signpost you to helpful services in the University.

Disabled Student Support - Our dedicated disability advisers can provide advice, guidance and support to staff and students about a range of practical adjustments to your work or studies if you have a disability, specific learning difficulty or mental health difficulties.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Team - The team provides advice, support and guidance on equality, diversity and inclusion related issues to students, academic advisors and other staff in student-supporting roles.

The University Misconduct Team -If a complaint is made about another student's conduct, the team can offer an variety of dispute resolutions. 

Sheffield Hallam Support for Staff

Staff Wellbeing - The University's staff wellbeing pages link to a range of support services including staff counselling.

Trade Unions - Sheffield Hallam recognises a number of trade unions: UNISON, UNITE, UCU and GMB. Search for 'trade unions' on the staff intranet for more information about contacts and how to join.

Line management - You can report what has happened to your line manager if you feel able to do this.

Other Sources of Support

Stop Hate UK - Provides independent, confidential and accessible reporting and support for victims, witnesses and third parties.

True Vision - Offers guidance on reporting hate crime and hate incidents. If you do not wish to talk to anyone in person about the incident or wish to remain anonymous, there is an online form for reporting hate crime; you can report non-crime hate incidents to the Police to try to prevent any escalation in seriousness.

Citizens Advice - Provides some useful information on the different types of harassment and hate crime people may experience including disability hate crime, racist and religious hate crime, sexual harassment, and sexual orientation and transgender identity hate crime.

Tell MAMA - Supports victims of anti-Muslim hate and is a public service which also measures and monitors anti-Muslim incidents.

Victim Support - When you report a crime to the Police, they should automatically ask you if you would like help from an organisation like Victim Support. But anyone affected by crime can contact Victim Support directly – you don’t need to talk to the Police to get their help. 

Race and Religious Hate Crime - Racist and religious crime is particularly hurtful to victims as they are being targeted solely because of their personal identity: their actual or perceived racial or ethnic origin, belief or faith. These crimes can happen randomly or be part of a campaign of continued harassment and victimisation. 

Homophobic and Transphobic Hate Crime - In the past, incidents against lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people have been rarely reported and even more rarely prosecuted. Research studies suggest that victims of, or witnesses to, such incidents have very little confidence in the criminal justice system. 

Disability Hate Crime - Feeling and being unsafe through violence, harassment or negative stereotyping has a significant impact on disabled people's sense of security and wellbeing. It also impacts significantly on their ability to participate both socially and economically in their communities.

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There are two ways you can tell us what happened

Report anonymously or Report with personal details