Every couple of months Emily* faces racism by her peers at school, targeting her Indigenous heritage. The 'hurtful' slurs have impacted on her wellbeing.
An Indigenous student is facing regular racial abuse by other students at a school in regional Victoria.At just 12 years old, Emily* feels "embarrassed and upset" about her Indigenous heritage after more than a year of bullying at an eastern Victorian secondary school.
"But I don't know if an apology is enough because my grandad wants them to read it out in front of the whole class so the class goes. 'Oop, well, we better not be racist.'" "They just kept giving me the same rhetoric, and I understand the school have guidelines to follow, I'm not questioning that, what I'm questioning is they're not open minded to listening to other possible remedies.Mr Lang said offending students needed to be held accountable publicly for any racist behaviour to prevent other students from being racist.
"The school runs a dedicated program to support Koorie students and build students' understanding of our rich Indigenous history."Emily is one example of a wider problem seen across Australia, throughout multiple generations. Professor Priest was the lead researcher in the Speak Out Against Racism project, a school-based study on racism, racial discrimination and bystander responses to racism.A report from the ACT Human Rights Commission reveals racism is a pervasive problem for children and young people, outlining actions it says should be taken by the government, schools and sporting bodies.
"We need data collected in partnership with communities so that we can … find out where the hotspots are," she said.Sheree Lowe is the executive director of The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation's Balit Durn Durn Centre.
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