Bullying and racism
Being bullied or experiencing racism can make kids feel sad, angry, depressed and left out. It can make them fearful and less likely to engage with school. It can even impact on their physical health, including stress reactions like increased heart rate and headaches. It’s up to the caring adults in their life to make sure racist behaviour and bullying are stopped.
What is racism?
Racism is any attitude or behaviour that assumes someone is inferior because of their skin colour or race. It can take many forms from jokes or comments that cause offence (perhaps unintentionally) to harassment and intimidation or physical abuse and violence.
Racism can directly or indirectly exclude people from accessing services or taking part in employment, education, sport and social activities. It can also occur at a systemic or institutional level through policies, conditions or practices that disadvantage certain groups.
What is racial bullying?
Racial bullying, or harassment, is when someone is subjected to verbal, physical or emotional abuse, in person or online, because of their race or skin colour. For children and young people, racial bullying at school could be their most common experience of racism.
What is racial discrimination?
Racial discrimination is when a person is treated less favourably than another person in a similar situation because of their race, colour, descent, national or ethnic origin or immigration status.
Sometimes, the discrimination involves treating people differently in an obvious way, for example,a bus or taxi driver might refuse to take a passenger because of their racial background or skin colour. This is called ‘direct discrimination’.
Sometimes the discrimination comes from a rule or policy that is the same for everyone, but has an unfair effect on people of a particular race, colour, religion or origin. For example, if a sports club has a rule that headwear is not allowed on the field, this could unfairly affect people from some racial or ethnic backgrounds. This is called ‘indirect discrimination’.
Recognising racism
The child or young person in your care may be experiencing racism if either adults or children:
- refuse to play with or sit next to them
- exclude them from social groups
- make fun of their clothes, food or appearance
- ridicule or mimic their accents or gestures
- write graffiti or use derogatory language directed against their family or cultural group
- make stereotypical statements
- make assumptions about their abilities based on their cultural background
- witness racist behaviour and allow it to go unchallenged
- do not respond to complaints of racism
- anglicise their name whether they like it or not
- force them to take part in activities that go against their cultural or religious beliefs
- do not allow them to speak their birth language
- hand out more severe forms of discipline, favouring children from their own cultural background
- use intimidating behaviour, such as stealing, damaging personal property, taunting and stalking, because the child or young person is seen as being different
- pick fights or physically assault them because of their cultural background.