Shropshire Star

Hate crimes against children rise in region

Hate crimes against children have gone up by more than a quarter in the region, the NSPCC has revealed.

Published

West Mercia Police dealt with 160 reports of discriminatory hate crimes against children in 2016/17, up from 123 in 2015/16 - an increase of 30 per cent.

It means that the number of reported crimes is among the highest across the Midlands, with only West Midlands Police seeing more at 257 last year.

The figures were revealed in a Freedom of Information campaign by the NSPCC, which also found that similar crimes had gone up by 136 per cent in Lincolnshire.

NSPCC CEO Peter Wanless said: “It’s heartbreaking to think that some children are targeted by bullies because of their race, culture or nationality.

"Racist jokes and negative stereotyping can be hurtful and leave young people feeling isolated and ashamed of who they are or where they are from.

“Our 'Understand Me' campaign aims to reach out to all children who are experiencing racial or faith-based bullying and make sure they know that they are not alone. No child should suffer in silence and anyone being targeted must be supported to tell someone and ask for help.”

Dame Esther Rantzen, president of Childline said that playground insults can be "extremely harmful".

She said: “Bullying of any kind is vile, but targeting someone because of the colour of their skin, religious beliefs or their accent is simply unacceptable. Children are taking on board prejudices around race and religion in society and trading them as playground insults, with extremely harmful results.

“Young people should be encouraged to be proud of who they are. Racial bullying can be hard to cope with but young people need to know they don’t have to carry this burden alone.

"Childline is here for all young people and talking to someone might help them find a way to deal with the situation.”

Childline's number is 0800 1111.