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Agnes Lasuba
Race Equality Officer
This report
covers the NNREC Work Programme for the year 2000-2001 providing
Racial Harassment and Racial Discrimination [RH/RD] statistics in
a format which would enable readers particularly Directors / Managers
to acquire an understanding of areas where Racist Incidents [RIs]
predominantly occur.
The rate of
reporting RIs to the NNREC increased by 10% from last year. The
Stephen Lawrence Inquiry [1999] recommendations and partnership
commitments carried out by NNREC in collaboration with the Local
Authorities [LAs], the constabulary and other agencies using a multi
agency approach have been successful in increasing racial awareness
and encouraging black and white people to report RIs to the police
and Racial Equality Council.
From April
2000 - March 2001 NNREC recorded 103 RIs between the police and
NNREC a total of 361 are recorded. Below are RIs in Norfolk according
to divisional areas. Racist Incidents Statistical Records April
2000 - March 2001 Divisional Area NNREC Police Total Central 72
131 203 Eastern 13 62 75 Western 18 65 83 Total 103 258 361 NNREC
provided advice to some of the records under the police and referred
all complaints on RH to the police, as it is a criminal offence.
NNREC recorded 103 RIs of which 66 are RH and 37 RD.
The breakdown
of the 66 RH are as follows:
Education
19 RIs occurred
in 5 schools and resulted in 4 mixed heritage children and 1 single
heritage child suffering exclusion because the parents removed them
from school believing they were protecting their children from the
daily experience of RH in the school. NNREC in partnership with
the parents and Education Advisory Service successfully returned
the 5 children to school.
The 5 schools
received race awareness training and assistance to develop anti-racist
policy from NNREC. Some of the schools which developed anti-racist
policies a year ago are standing up to racism through effective
ant-racist education action. Two of those schools implemented racial
awareness projects. One made a video entitled "Racism Not in Our
School". Over 500 copies of the video were produced and 400 distributed
to Norfolk schools. Another school carried out fund raising activities
involving parents, teachers and governors.
The school
donated the money to NNREC to do more work in schools on race awareness.
NNREC commends all the initiatives and congratulates all schools
for taking a lead in creating an atmosphere which promotes racial
harmony among pupils in school. What else is more rewarding than
empowering our youth, black and white to fight racism in Norfolk!
The work done
in Norfolk schools by NNREC in partnership with the Norfolk Education
Advisory Service in the year 1999-2000 was highly commended by the
CRE.
Due to this
work Norfolk Local Education Authority [LEA] was selected to be
one of the 10 LEAs from England and Wales to be involved in the
review and implementation of the CRE Racial Equality Standards for
Schools - Learning for All, during 2000-2001. The review meeting
was held on 31st January 2001 attended by representatives from the
10 LEAs and REOs.
They were briefed
on the Race Relation Amendment Act 2000. The Amendment Act places
a legal responsibility on public sector bodies including LEAs to
comply with the legislation in employment and service delivery.
Regarding the implementation of Standards, the CRE recommended each
LEA to have a pilot project involving 10 schools.
The following
were highlighted: 路 partnership and multi-agency approach 路 auditing
what the schools have done 路 recording and tackling racist incidents
as an integral duty on schools 路 teachers, governors, pupils and
parents to receive training 路 general monitoring and specific monitoring
of ethnicity to establish a system where the under achievement and
the needs of ethnic minority pupils could quickly be identified.
Pilot Project
David Sheppard
of the Norfolk Education Advisory Service and I would co-ordinate
the project. The project would have 3 phases as follows:
Phase 1: The
Director of Education would write to all schools inviting them to
nominate their schools as one of the 10 pilot schools. The co-ordinators
would work with the 10 schools preparing them to be mentor schools.
Phase 2: The
10 mentor schools would each work with an additional 10 schools,
thus involving more schools possibly reaching 100 and focusing on
dissemination of the practice developed by the 10 phase 1 schools.
Phase 3: The
mentor schools selected from phase 2 to cascade the model approach
with the remaining Norfolk Schools until every school had been reached.
NNREC believes if the project works out according to plan, in 3
years time all Norfolk schools would have received training on race
awareness, head teachers and teachers would be empowered to take
leadership in their schools to implant best practice based on the
CRE Standards for Schools.
Housing
20 RIs took
place in housing estates triggered by neighbourhood disputes. 3
victims sought transfer to different housing estates. NNREC negotiated
with housing departments for the 3 tenants to be re-housed. 2 tenants
who experienced RH decided to live in the same estate. To prevent
further RH, NNREC called a case conference involving housing officers,
tenants and the police to address the underlying problems.
Public Places
23 RIs occurred
in pubs, shops, restaurants and on the streets. The majority of
the victims declined to pursue the matter because according to them
it would remind them of the humiliation and emotions associated
with the RH which they experienced.
However they
would like NNREC to use the experience to educate the aggressors
and to work to improve public authority, police and other agencies
response.
Domestic
Violence
4 domestic violence
cases between spouses - black wives and white husbands escalated
to racial abuse. The women were evicted from the family home, denied
access to their children of under ten, passports confiscated and
threatened with deportation. Domestic violence is not unusual in
some marriages be it black or white. I am aware that in domestic
violence incidents usually the law protects the wife and the children.
If the children are minors they would usually live with their mother
in the family home - the father would be advised to leave the family
home but would have access to his children.
My concern is
whether the same rule is being equally applied to black women -
if not, it challenges our impartiality in policy implementation.
Violence is a big issue which should not be left to a single body
it requires multi-agency approach informed by diversity in knowledge.
Employment
The 37 RD cases
are predominantly connected to the lack of progression and promotion.
Below are the details. 10 out of the 37 were served with the RR65
questionnaire - 6 out of the 10 went on to Employment Tribunal hearings
and 1 awarded compensation - 4 out of court confidential negotiated
settlements were reached. The remaining 27 declined to pursue the
matter further but were concerned by the discriminatory practices
in their institutions.
To address the
discrimination, NNREC worked closely with the institutions concerned
to review their equal opportunity policies and to assist them in
developing anti-racist policies. Litigation is not necessarily the
solution to RD, most cases could be avoided if employers had equal
opportunity policies and anti-racist policies and ensured that these
policies were effectively implemented.
Norfolk Waveney
/ Training & Enterprise Council [TEC] in partnership with NNREC
held a seminar on equality at work in November 2000. More than 100
employers, employment agencies and voluntary agencies attended.
The main speaker was the former CRE Chairman, Sir Herman Ouseley
[Now Lord Ouseley].
I learnt from
his speech that: employers need growth and expansion to bring added
value to institutions and the nation, therefore they should embrace
equity and equality. This gave me an opportunity to lobby and question
employers and employment agencies how could they have equity and
equality if employees talents and skills are overlooked by employers.
Due to the
annual increase in RD complaints, NNREC initiated the Norfolk Employment
Network Group [NENG]. Up to 31st March 2001, 17 employers agencies
signed up. NNREC hopes NENG鈥檚 input would value diversity in the
workforce and address equity and equality issues. In conclusion
I would like to say RIs are now visible to both majority and minority
ethnic people. NNREC remains committed to work with all its partners
not only on racism but also on a broad understanding of all equality
areas. Together we could and should build Norfolk into a county
where different racial groups would live in harmony proud to celebrate
their cultural diversity to the benefit of all. Last but not least
I enjoyed the year鈥檚 work and love my job.
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