Recorded race hate crime offences against children across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have escalated to a 3-year high, an NSPCC investigation has found.
Hampshire Constabulary recorded 201 offences against under 18s last year, compared with 121 in 2015/16 – an increase of 66%.
Nationally, there were 10,571 offences flagged by police as race hate crimes against children in 2017/18, an average of almost 29 a day, across the UK. This was a rise by more than a fifth since 2015/16, up from 8,683.
The NSPCC’s Freedom of Information request to police forces has shown that toddlers and babies yet to reach their first birthday were amongst the victims of race hate crimes.
Children have also told the NSPCC-run service Childline they were being targeted because of the way they looked, and reported being told to “go back to their own country”. Some tried to change their appearance by using make up, while others said they did not want to tell their parents for fear of upsetting them.
Childline held 2,617 counselling sessions about race and faith based bullying between 2015/16 and 2017/18. Girls were more likely to speak to Childline than boys, and the most common age group to get in touch about the issue was children aged 12-15.
Counsellor Atiyah Wazir said:
“Over the eight years that I’ve volunteered as a counsellor it is just as heart-breaking every single time a child tells you they wish they looked different. These children have been made to feel shame and guilt and sometimes daren’t tell their mums or dads about it because they don’t want to worry or hurt their feelings. I want every child to know that this bullying is not ok, they have nothing to be ashamed of, and Childline is always here to listen.”
Article continues below this advertisement
Head of Childline John Cameron said:
“Childhood bullying of this nature can cause long term emotional harm to children and can create further divisions in our society. If we see a child bullying another because of their race we need to tackle it head on, by explaining that it’s not ok and how hurtful it is. I would urge any child who is being targeted because of their race to contact Childline, and any adult to call the Helpline if they are worried about a child.”
