Madam, - Your recent Editorial (Oct 29th) drawing attention to the problem of racist and homophobic violence in Northern Ireland was extremely welcome.
However, whilst you noted that such attacks have been increasing, I would take issue with your assertions that "sectarian violence has declined", that people living in Northern Ireland "are more likely to be racist than sectarian" and that the peace process has made "sectarian violence politically unacceptable".
One of the difficulties in analysing the significance of sectarian violence is that there are little data to indicate the scale of the problem and whether it is increasing or decreasing.
Although the police have been recording racist incidents since 1996 and homophobic incidents since 2000, they still do not record sectarian incidents. However, they are planning to begin recording such incidents from 2005.
Nevertheless, the police have made available some figures in response to specific requests as part of our research into hate crime in Northern Ireland.
These indicate that there is still a significant problem with sectarian violence. Three examples indicate the diversity of the problem.
Between 1994 and 2002 there were 594 attacks on symbolic properties (churches, chapels, Orange Halls and GAA clubs), an average of five attacks a month over a nine-year period.
In Larne the PSNI recorded 294 sectarian incidents between April 2001 and March 2004.
In North Belfast the police recorded 376 riots, 1,014 disturbances and 1,327 assaults in the main interface areas between 1996 and 2004.
Figures are also hard to obtain from other sources.
However, the Housing Executive indicates that an average of 1,378 people have requested rehousing due to sectarian, paramilitary or racist intimidation each year since 1994.
The Pat Finucane Centre in Derry monitored press reports of sectarian attacks between 1999 and 2003 and their data indicated that there were over 1,100 incidents in three-and-a-half years worthy of being noted in local papers.
Although this is somewhat diverse evidence, there no clear pattern of a decline of sectarian violence across Northern Ireland.
Furthermore, the high levels of segregation in housing, education, social activities and employment will undoubtedly have reduced the opportunities for and possibilities of sectarian attacks.
Research has indicated that many individuals have developed strategies for reducing their scope for being targeted by limiting where they shop, their use of public transport and their movements in public space. Thus, while sectarian violence may not be so obviously prominent, many people are fearful of the threat of such violence.
For example, the 2000 Young Persons' Behaviour and Attitudes Survey carried out by NISRA indicated that 35 per cent of young people had been verbally abused because of their religion and 13 per cent had been assaulted.
However, the survey also revealed that 36 per cent of young people were worried about the possibility of sectarian verbal abuse and 46 per cent were worried about the threat of sectarian assault.
The scattered evidence indicates all too clearly that sectarian violence and harassment remains a significant problem for too many people in too many areas across Northern Ireland.
The difficulty is that too many people would like to simply wish it away and hope that if we ignore it the problem will disappear. Unfortunately that is not going to happen. - Yours, etc.,
NEIL JARMAN, Institute for Conflict Research, Duncairn Gardens, Belfast.