Bullying UK

Britain is a multi-racial and multi-faith country and everyone has the right to have their culture and religion respected by others

Nobody has the right to call you names or to treat you badly because of your colour, race or religion. It's illegal and it can be stopped. You don't have to be a different colour to suffer racist bullying. You might have come from Romania or the former Yugoslavia.

Neither is racist bullying confined to colour of skin. We've had complaints of non-Welsh and non-Scots children experiencing bullying in those countries. Other complaints have been about traveller children finding life difficult in school.

Racist bullying is the only type of bullying that schools must record.

There is a difference between racial discrimination and racism Racial discrimination means being treated differently to someone else because of your race, perhaps by being told you cannot wear a turban if you are a Sikh, a yarmulka if you are a Jewish boy or hijaab if you are a Pakistani girl.

Racism means you are subjected to abuse and harassment because of your race, colour or beliefs.Bullying UK receives many complaints about racist bullying. If you are being bullied in this way you must tell your parents and ask them to write to your head teacher about it. Keep a diary of who says and does what because that will help the school to see where the bullying is taking place.

The complaints we've had include a girl aged six being told by a classmate that she cannot take the school mouse home because he doesn't like people with brown faces, to more serious incidents involving teenage gangs and weapons, one of which meant a boy was too frightened to return to school.

These complaints have come from all parts of the UK and are not confined to any particular area. Your parents need to make a complaint to the police if the school doesn't sort out racial bullying.

If you need help from Bullying UK email us here