Despite the great strides that Cardiff has made in promoting equality and anti racism, race hate crime is a reality for many of the city’s Black and Minority Ethnic residents, a reality which has a significant impact on the quality of their lives - according to a new report, by Race Equality First.
One of the most significant findings of the report “Race Hate Crime in Cardiff 2009” is that more than 70% of those surveyed who experienced race hate crime did not report it – either because they believed there was no point in doing so, they did not know how to do it, or they were afraid of the perpetrators.
Key findings
Of those surveyed:
- 59.2% experienced a racist incident or race hate crime during their lifetime
- 80% experienced a racist incident or hate crime more than once
- 73.1% did not report the incident
- In the majority of cases (31.2%)the perpetrator was a stranger
- The age groups least likely to report racist incidents and race hate crimes were the under 16 age group
- 38.9% of victims who reported the crime to the police said the response was terrible. 22% said it was good
- 24.5% of victims said they would avoid particular areas of Cardiff
Mohammed Tufail OBE, Director of Race Equality First said:
“This research report reinforces our experience at Race Equality First that there is some way to go before all our residents are able to say that they live free from the fear and experience of racism.
“The challenge for Race Equality First and our partners in the police, the local authorities and the Crown Prosecution Service is to respond to the findings of this very important survey. One of the ways we can do that is through multi-agency working, backed up by resources, to assure victims that if they report an incident it will be recorded and investigated. I believe that given Cardiff’s great tradition and history of many different communities living together and working side by side we can work together to meet this challenge and defeat the evil of racism, prejudice and hatred.”
Alicja Zalesinska, Race Equality Officer (Policy) of Race Equality First said:
“It is important that people who have never been subject to racism read this report to see what the reality looks like for many Cardiff residents. One third of our respondents said that they would avoid particular areas of Cardiff, try to hide their accent or avoid speaking in their mother tongue for fear of racial abuse. This infringes on their basic human right to liberty and should not be happening in the twenty first century.”
The report was launched in April 2009 by Cllr Judith Woodman, Deputy Leader of Cardiff Council. You can view their findings following the link below or downloading it in PDF format.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/7986748.stm
Race Hate Crime in Cardiff 2009 PDF