Over a period of 12 months, nearly 3,800 hate crimes were reported which experts believe are only a fractional of the actual incidents
Asian Americans have faced an increasing number of hate crimes during a period of 12 months, especially since the outbreak of coronavirus. As per a report by Stop Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Hate, there were nearly 3,800 cases reported during March 1, 2020, and Feb. 28, 2021. These crimes include verbal harassment, shunning, physical assault, online harassment to civil rights violations.
The report shows that women reported hate incidents 2.3 times more than men while Chinese are the largest ethnic group with over 42% of the affected being Chinese Americans. Koreans 14.8% and Vietnamese 8.5% are the other most affected groups. More than 21 million Asians or people of Asia origin reside in the United States.
A rising problem
Hate crimes against Asian Americans are a relatively new phenomenon. While the occasional hate crimes always took place, the attacks have significantly increased in the last couple of years. In the last few days, a number of elderly Asians were killed in different parts of the country. The victims were considered to be upstanding citizens and pillars of the community. U.S. President Joe Biden has recently acknowledged that hate crimes against Asians are a growing problem that needs to be curbed.
In the Atlanta area yesterday, three spas known to be owned by Asians were attacked by a domestic terrorist, and eight people, all women of Asian origin were killed. Two whites and one Latino were also injured in an attack that visibly targeted the Asians. The lone gunman is in custody.
Tip of the iceberg
AAPI Hate believes that the actual cases are far more and only a fraction is actually reported. “The number of hate incidents reported to our center represents only a fraction of the number of hate incidents that actually occur, but it does show how vulnerable Asian Americans are to discrimination,” the group said in a statement.
Former President Donald Trump also played a part in the situation after making comments such as “Kung flu” to refer to the coronavirus and blaming China for the pandemic, Stop AAPI Hate co-founder Cynthia Choi said.
Asians play a pivotal role in the U.S. and are one of the more respected communities due to their mannerism and success in professional fields. However, the increasing number of attacks is a matter of concern and can lead to people leaving the country for the sake of their own security. This will truly be a loss for the U.S.