Action for Race Equality (ARE) calls for urgent action as it warns that rising division, attacks on anti-discrimination laws, and growing youth disengagement are damaging hope, safety and opportunity across the UK.
ARE is deeply concerned about the impact on young people across the UK of the current political and social climate.
At a time when young people should be looking to the future with confidence, too many are facing insecurity, exclusion and a growing loss of hope as public discourse has become increasingly hostile and polarised.
Inflammatory rhetoric, racist agitation, and attacks on anti-discrimination laws and other legal safeguards against unfair treatment are contributing to an atmosphere that is harmful and deeply unsettling.
When laws designed to protect people from discrimination are weakened or called into question, it sends a damning message to young people about who belongs, whose rights matter and whether fairness and equal treatment can still be relied upon.
This is especially serious for young people from ethnic minority backgrounds, including those who face discrimination because of their ethnicity and/or faith. Young people experience unequal treatment in education, employment and public life. In this climate, those barriers can become even harder to overcome, with real consequences for well-being, aspiration as well as trust in our society’s institutions.
If the current climate of division, inequality and economic insecurity continues, many more young people will be left feeling that society has little to offer them.
ARE is also deeply concerned about the position of vulnerable ethnic minority communities in Northern Ireland, particularly at a time when racist incidents and intimidation have been rising and many people feel increasingly unsafe. We recognise the fear and insecurity that this creates for individuals, families and communities.
We condemn all violence unequivocally. There can be no justification for intimidation, racist abuse, attacks on homes or communities, or any attempt to divide people through hatred and fear.
Jeremy Crook OBE, Chief Executive of Action for Race Equality, said:
Young people are growing up in a climate that is too often defined by division, insecurity and hostility. That is damaging for all young people, but especially for those from ethnic minority backgrounds who already face unfair barriers because of their ethnicity and faith.
“We cannot accept a situation in which more than one million young people are out of education, employment or training, while the laws meant to protect people from discrimination are being questioned. We need to send a different message; one of fairness, safety, opportunity and hope for every young person.
“A different approach is urgently needed – one that defends anti-discrimination law, protects people from unfair treatment, rejects racism and religious prejudice, and invests seriously in youth employment, education and skills, wellbeing and community safety.
“Young people need hope, security and opportunity. They deserve to grow up in a society that stands firmly against division and believes in their future.”
About Action for Race Equality
Action for Race Equality (ARE) is a national charity working to end racial inequality. ARE champions fairness, challenges discrimination and develops practical solutions to support Black, Asian and mixed heritage communities through education, employment and enterprise, with a strong focus on improving outcomes for young people.
