Transcript Document

Racial Inequality – The Big
Picture
• Racial discrimination is a fact of life in the UK, as it is in
every other country in the world. There are widespread
racial inequalities, in wealth, in employment, health and
crime. In many parts of the UK , there are hardly any
Black and Minority people at all.
• On the other hand, cities such as Birmingham and
Manchester have been transformed by immigration. Most
of the UK’s ethnic minorities live in London. In 7 of
London’s boroughs whites are the ethnic minority.
• The UK has come a long way in a short time in terms of
race relations.
• The Labour Governments of the 1960s and 1970s began
the process of ending the legal basis of racism.
Racial Groups in the UK
• ‘Ethnic group’ refers to people of the same race or
nationality with a shared history and distinct
culture.
• ‘Ethnicity’ refers to a person’s sense of belonging
to a particular group
• ‘Black and Minority Ethnic’(BME) is a term
commonly used by Government organisations
such as the Home Office or the Equality and
Human Rights Commission(EHRC)
• The non-white population stands at about 4.5
million (7.9 %)
British identity?
• “Britishness” means many different things to
many different people.
• In the 2001 census, only 27% of Scots described
themselves as ‘British’. This compares to 48% of
people living in England.
• Race, ethnic and national identity are neither static
nor pure.
• Watch Panorama – 25 August 2008 – True Brits
Racial groups
• Black Caribbean (12.2%) – large, definable
communities in all England’s major cities, less
noticeable in Scotland.
• Black Africans (10.5%) – mostly live in London,
many are university students so university cities
have a higher proportion of black Africans.
• Indian (22.7%) – mostly live in London, then East
and West Midlands.
• The other racial groups are much smaller.
Racism
• Direct racism – where a person is treated unfairly
on the basis of their ethnic origin.
• Indirect racism – when a person or group is treated
unfairly, but the discrimination is not as obvious
• Institutional racism – when discrimination exists
within institutions like the police, schools or
businesses.
• Islamophobia – discrimination against Islam or
Muslims, gained publicity since 9/11
Economic Migrants and Asylum
Seekers
• Economic migrants are people who go to a
country in order to earn a living.
• Asylum seeker or refugee is a person who is
persecuted ‘for reasons of race, religion,
nationality, membership of a particular
social group or political opinion.
• Watch Panorama – 14 January 2008 –
Destination UK
Race and education
• BME children make up 21% of the population of
UK’s primary schools and 17% of the total
number of children attending secondary school.
• Children of Indian, Chinese and Irish origin have
attainment levels that exceed the national average,
while black children, white working-class boys,
and those of Bangladeshi and Pakistani origin
consistently fall below the average.
• Black pupils are permanently excluded over twice
the rate of white pupils.
Why?
• In the majority of cases BME children go to
schools which, statistically occupy the lower end
of the unofficial school league tables.
• Some suggestion that there is a lack of positive
role models in some ethnic groups.
• HOWEVER the most underachieving group, is the
poor, male, white, British –born.
Race and Employment
• Many of Scotland’s minority ethnic community
workers are employed in low level, poorly paid
jobs – retail and catering main sectors, often
through self employment.
• BMEs in Scotland are 2 or 3 times more likely to
be unemployed than white workers.
• Why ?
• Racism plays it part
Government action on Race
inequality
• Race Relations Acts 1965 and 1976 – made it
unlawful to discriminate against a person on racial
grounds
• The Race Relations (amendment) Act 2000 and
2003 – amazingly the 1976 Act did not cover the
police
• The Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2007
• The Equality Bill 2008 – this bill is likely to
become law in 2009, it promises to be the most
important anti-discrimination law since the 1970s
How effective has race
legislation been?
• The UK has certainly come a long way
when there was no legislation and shops
were allowed to have signs which said ‘no
blacks, no Irish, no dogs.’
• The Scottish Government still records 14
racist incidents a day and these are only the
crimes which are reported.
Opening the Glass Door ?
• Many public and private sector organisations are
changing the way their entire organisation views
racial inequality.
• NHS – long been recognised that the NHS’s
workforce does not wholly reflect the diversity of
the UK. In 2002 NHS set up Breaking Through
Programme which sought to offer members of
minority groups chance to enhance career
development.
Police
• There have been four occasions in the UK when the police
have come under public scrutiny for allegedly tolerating
racial discrimination.
• 1 – Policing of the Brixton riots in 1981
• 2 – Aftermath of the murder of Stephen Lawrence
• 3 – Panorama investigation of 2003, ‘The Secret
Policeman’
• 4 – Resignation of Sir Ian Blair, Chief Constable of the
Met and the UK’s most senior police officer in 2008
• BUT some progress has been made with numbers of BME
police increasing
• WATCH – Panorama ‘The Secret Policeman Returns’ 6
October 2008