RACISM AND BULLYING.......

In an era of multicultural demographics and sprawling cosmopolitan cities it is really quite a surprise to us at Care4 that Racism is still such a hot topic and topic of concern.

Racist bullying can range from ill-considered remarks which are intended to be hurtful to deliberate physical attacks causing injury, sometimes serious.  This type of bullying is encountered daily by people from all races and cultures and may include incidents of harassment and intimidation in schools, workplaces and other social settings.

Victims of racist bullying may be singled out because of the following:

• Colour of their skin
• Clothing
• The way they talk or communicate
• Their ethnic grouping
• Cultural or religious practices

Racist bullying can consist of:

• Insulting or degrading comments and/or gestures
• Name calling, insults or taunts
• Offensive graffiti
• Physical abuse
• Abusive emails and tests
• Tormenting and/or threatening behaviour
• Damage to property
• Being ignored or purposely left out
• Being made fun of
• Isolation of victim
• Refusal to work with individual who is from a different culture

This type of bullying in schools can result in disruption of education.  Students may be unable to concentrate or complete lessons and may not be able to fulfil their potential.  Racist bullying in the workplace can similar negative results and may prevent the victim from being able to concentrate on their work or complete necessary tasks.

Racist bullying can include individuals or groups known as ‘pack bullying’.  Victims of racist bully can experience all or some of the following:

• Low self-esteem
• Trust issues (difficulty in trusting others)
• Lack of assertiveness
• Isolation
• Depression
• Health Issues
• Isolation
• Aggression
• Difficulty controlling anger

Clear procedures for dealing with racism bullying in schools and in the workplace are necessary and critical and requires anti-bullying policies. The policies should ensure that issues relating to racism are dealt with effectively.  Racism is a very serious problem that is often ignored or goes unnoticed and can flourish if left unchecked and has the potential to destroy communities.