Equality & Diversity
Hate Crime
Hate crime involves prejudice and discrimination and occurs where someone is assaulted or bullied because of their:
- Disability
- Race or Ethnicity
- Religion or Beliefs
- Sexual Orientation
- Gender Identity
If someone makes an assumption about another person’s identity then this is also classed as hate crime.
If you have a concern relating to hate crime, speak to a trusted adult or a member of the safeguarding team.
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Racism
It is illegal to treat someone differently because of their race, culture, colour; ethnicity or nationality; this is called racial discrimination. Racial bullying occurs when someone bullies another person and focuses on their race, ethnicity or culture.
Racism and racist bullying can include:
- being called racist names or being sent insulting messages and threats
- having belongings damaged
- racist graffiti
- personal attacks, including violence or assault
- being left out, treated differently or excluded
- people making assumptions based on a person’s colour, race or culture
- making someone feel they have to change how they look
- racist jokes
Being subject to racism and racial bullying can impact on mental health. If you are worried about this, talk to a trusted adult or a member of the safeguarding team.
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LGBTQ+
Becoming comfortable with your sexuality can be confusing and difficult. It isn’t unusual for someone to be attracted to a person of the same sex at some point in time and so it is important for young people to fully explore their feelings before ‘coming out.’ When someone is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, it can sometimes take a long time to ‘come out’ or to tell anyone. It can be difficult for someone who is trying to hide their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, and can have an effect on mental health. However, everyone should be able to be honest about who they are and feel comfortable in their own skin, When someone feels it is the right time to ‘come out’ they might find it useful to plan how to tell people, decide who they want to tell and have some support with this.
If you have any concerns, speak to a trusted adult or a member of the safeguarding team.
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HONOUR BASED ABUSE
Honour Based Abuse refers to practices which are used to control behaviours within families to protect perceived cultural and religious beliefs and/or defend honour. Honour Based Abuse is used as an umbrella term for a number of practices including most commonly:
-
- Honour Based Violence/Killing
- Forced marriage
- Female Genital Mutilation
- Breast Ironing
Breast ironing/flattening
Breast ironing or flattening is a form of abuse which is directed at females and aims to prevent breasts from growing, or to slow their growth. If this is something you are worried about, please speak to a trusted adult in school or a member of the safeguarding team.
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Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
FGM comprises all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs. It is illegal in the UK and a form of child abuse with long-lasting harmful consequences. If this is something you are worried about, please speak to a trusted adult in school or a member of the safeguarding team.
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Forced Marriage
Forcing a person into a marriage is a crime in England and Wales. A forced marriage is one entered into without the full and free consent of one or both parties and where violence, threats or any other form of coercion is used to cause a person to enter into a marriage. Threats can be physical or emotional and psychological. A lack of full and free consent can be where a person does not consent or where they cannot consent (if they have learning disabilities, for example). Both males and females can be victims of Forced Marriage.
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