A new 24-hour phone service dedicated to supporting East and Southeast Asian victims of racism has been launched in the UK, in what its creators are calling the first of its kind in the country.

On Your Side, set up by 15 UK-based anti-racism groups on Tuesday, is a service where people from East and Southeast Asian communities can speak to specialist advisors and report experiences of racism or hate crimes related to their heritage or perceived identity.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, hate crime toward people in the UK's Asian communities went up by an estimated 50 percent.

Organizers say this dramatic uptick prompted them to create a consortium of groups with expertise in hate crime reporting and prevention, as well as supporting East Asian victims of racial violence to tackle the issue. 

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"People from East and Southeast Asian communities have experienced a huge increase in verbal and physical racially-motivated attacks," said Kimi Jolly, executive director of East and Southeast Asian Scotland, one of the organizations involved in the project. 

"Yet up to now, there has been no support tailored to them in terms of language, cultural awareness and being able to record their ethnicity accurately. I know the impact of this first-hand." 

Speaking of her own experiences in Britain, Jolly says that during the pandemic she was violently assaulted, harassed and verbally abused.

"I was asked to leave a shop when other people weren't. I had sanitizer sprayed all over me on a bus. And I'm not alone in experiencing such incidents. Some people still don't consider racial jokes made towards members of the East and Southeast Asian community as actually being a form of racism."

Victims of hate crime silent no longer

The On Your Side helpline operates a free nationwide, seven-day-a-week service, its calls fielded by specialist advisers who are trained to provide tailored and culturally sensitive support. 

The project also provides longer-term support for those that need it, offering dedicated casework advocates who can monitor the handling of the case by police or local authorities, while also helping victims access mental health assistance and other urgent support networks.

In order to make the best possible service, Andy Fearn, co-executive director of the lead charity in the consortium, Protection Approaches, said the team spoke to over 150 people from East and Southeast Asian backgrounds. 

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"Two in five had been victims of a hate crime or hate incident in the last two years. More than half of those incidents were never reported while fewer than a quarter sought any form of support afterwards," he said. 

He explained that one of the main reasons East and Southeast Asian victims of hate crime were not reporting such incidents was because they were afraid of dealing with the police or not being taken seriously.

Others reported having difficulties accessing reporting and support services because of language barriers.

Expanding reach, taking notes

In response, organizers decided to provide hotline advisers who can give assistance in various languages including Japanese, Chinese Mandarin, Cantonese, Hakka and Hokkien, Tagalog and Indonesian. For the languages that on-site staff can't speak, the organizers say interpreters will be brought in. 

"We know people can be fearful, reluctant or unsure how to report hate crimes and incidents," said Hau-Yu Tam, head of campaigns at End Violence and Racism Against East and Southeast Asian Communities.

"Using this service means that community members who are calling or writing in will be centered in the process. They are the ones to decide what, if any, information will be shared with the police." 

While the service will record the number and nature of incidents, Tam says the details are to remain confidential with the express approval of the individual reporting the crime. 

"The primary focus for us is to assist in an appropriate, caring, joined-up way. Everyone deserves to feel safe, respected and supported," he said.

Those behind the project say the service, which is funded by the UK's Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, will also allow the consortium to form a more accurate understanding of the levels of racism faced by East and Southeast Asian communities in the UK.

This will in turn provide policy makers, civil society and community groups with more insights to better shape prevention and justice strategies, they say.

"Ideally, we want to prevent these crimes happening in the first place," concluded Andy Fearn.

"Having a service focused on the experiences of East and Southeast Asian communities will help us do that by giving us clearer information."