'Child Q' is a stark reminder of how institutional racism is failing our children

The harrowing strip search of Child Q has sparked an uproar and personally moved me on many levels.

As a woman, the humiliating nature of this 'search' infuriates me. As a person of colour, the exhausting monotony of being unjustly singled out for your skin colour frustrates me. But as a mother, the sheer trauma this school girl endured breaks my heart and affects me the most.

The thought that this could have been my child gives me shudders. The obvious abuse of power and blatant carelessness exhibited by two institutions [policing and teaching) that we should be able to trust is exasperating – these are people that should protect safeguard and nourish our children.

"The word ‘stop and search’ itself brings’ back haunting memories for many people of colour"

As a citizen and mother, if I cannot trust my child’s teacher and local police to look after my child and serve their best interest, then where I do go from there? Who can we trust? How can we expect to feel safe?

Unfortunately, what happened to Child Q is not a one-off incident; children of racially diverse backgrounds and specific faiths are routinely subject to systemic and structural racism, targeted across all areas of society.

According to the child safeguarding review, 25 children under the age of 18 were strip-searched. Most of these searches (88 percent) were negative and only two of the children searched were white.

The word ‘stop and search’ itself brings’ back haunting memories for many people of colour. Whether it’s random searches at shopping malls, restaurants, or airports,  all of these ‘searches’ reveal an underlying root cause which is undeniably and irrevocably racism.

Time and again incidents of systemic abuse are justified by the need to ‘double check’ or ‘further search. The perpetrators seem to be ‘just doing their duty’ especially when it comes to scrutinizing black and brown people.

A few back weeks I was travelling with my 11-year-old son. He stood on the airport security scanner and it beeped twice even though he had nothing metallic on him. We were told his trouser crease may have triggered the alarm. But as a mom who is wary of real-life phenomena that include ‘Flying while Muslim’ and ‘you’re a Muslim search,’ I grew anxious. 

“My people” often contend with extra questions from airport staff to formal searches by police, to secondary security screenings and visa problems involving children and even newborn babies. I can’t help but wonder if our faith and Muslim names are the reason why visa officers take a closer look or another pass with the security checks before they clear us.

We comply as we always do. We justify this as necessary for everyone’s safety; “This is just a routine check,” we tell ourselves as we let them perform their due diligence. But is it really?

"Unfortunately, what happened to Child Q is not a one-off incident; children of racially diverse backgrounds and specific faiths are routinely subject to systemic and structural racism, targeted across all areas of society"

The report Tackling Racial Injustice: Children and the Youth Justice System examined the causes of Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic disproportionality in the Youth Justice System (YJS) of England and Wales. The study revealed unsettling, yet unsurprising, results.

The report revealed that at most stages, from arrest to custody, the proportion of Black, Asian and multi-ethnic children and young adults is much higher than the proportion of their White counterparts.

This disparity is most profound in the youth custodial estate where the racially diverse population is 52 percent, despite composing 18 percent of the 10 to 17-year-old population.

Although the triggers are certainly ‘broad and complex’, bias and prejudice are unquestionably the root cause.  The report states: "In many cases, these damaging drivers have become firmly embedded in the institutional culture of the organisations themselves.’’

As highlighted, Black, Asian and multi-ethnic children already have a far greater likelihood of being stopped and searched than their white counterparts. Racially diverse children are not just less likely to benefit from diversion, but they are also at higher risk of spending long periods in custody.

Justice is not the only area where our children are disadvantaged. A wider context of racism within schools reveals another disturbing pattern too. 

A poll of more than 400 BAME teachers found that 54 percent have experienced demeaning comments targeting their racial heritage or identity. Incidences of racism in schools have also increased over the last 10 years. 

In a Department for Business Innovation and Skills 2011 study, Black applicants had the lowest predicted grade accuracy, while their white counterparts had the highest at 53 percent. The study revealed that Black students are most likely to have their grades under-predicted during the pandemic.

Child poverty is yet another area where stats are telling. Rising child poverty in Britain is a serious problem but while children of all races have been adversely impacted in terms of both analysis and policy, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that ethnic minority child poverty is considered a non-issue. 

Research supports that approximately 60 percent of Bangladeshi children, 54 percent of Pakistani children and 47 percent of Black children are living in poverty (once housing costs are taken into account). However, public discourse or awareness around the extent of this poverty is missing, and neither have any policies been devised to address these dismal numbers.

All these reports and stats clearly substantiate the need to examine how the system is failing our children and how crucial are preventative and interventionist strategies that challenge this system.

How else are we expected to protect our children from such distressful and biased experiences that can profoundly impact their confidence level and self-esteem? Will the system ever do them justice?

It’s time to stop delaying ‘the talk,’ letting them know that they need to be prepared, even accept, the extra security checks, random searches, scrutiny and judgement throughout their life simply because of their skin colour, ethnicity and/or faith.

As a mother, I don’t want to instil the idea of possible discrimination at such a young age, but maybe it’s time I should?

Hira Ali is an author, writer, speaker, executive leadership coach & D&I thought leader. She is the Chief Executive Officer at Advancing Your Potential and author of Her Way to the Top: A Guide to Smashing the Glass Ceiling. Hira's second companion book, Her Allies: A Practical Toolkit to Help Men Lead through Advocacy, invites men to join the gender equality movement.

Follow her on Twitter: @advancingyou