education

Universities ‘oblivious’ to widespread racist abuse on UK campuses, inquiry finds

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Universities are “oblivious” to the racial harassment occurring at an “alarmingly high rate” on their campuses, a new report has warned.     

An inquiry from the equality watchdog has found that nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of ethnic minority students had experienced racial harassment at a British university.

Institutions are “out of touch” with the scale of the problem and are overconfident in their ability to respond to it, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said.

It found that 44 per cent of international students experienced racist abuse, but more than three-quarters of those who responded said they had not reported it to their institution. 

The findings, based on a survey of 1,000 students, come after a series of high-profile racist incidents have taken place on UK campuses in recent years.

Black students’ experiences have been in the spotlight – with racist chants in student halls and a banana being thrown at a black graduate hitting the headlines.

An investigation by The Independent  revealed that the number of racist incidents in universities across the UK surged by more than 60 per cent between 2015 and 2017.

In recent weeks, a University of Leicester student was reported to be pictured wearing a white T-shirt with the hand-written slogan “Hitler wanted my kind alive” during a social event.

Students at the University of Southampton were also filmed chanting racist songs on a bus during a football social, according to student news reports.

The report from the EHRC suggests up to two-thirds of students did not report racist harassment to their university as some had no confidence the incident would be addressed.

Some universities are reluctant to admit the prevalence of racial harassment on campus for fear of reputational damage or putting off potential students, it adds. 

One student told EHRC: “This university was more bothered about covering the incident up to maintain a ‘spotless’ reputation, than it was about tackling racism, sexism, or homophobia – hence a delayed investigation, and the unfair sacking of a whistle blower.”              

Rebecca Hilsenrath, chief executive of EHRC, said: “It is considerably disappointing to discover that, instead of being progressive and forward thinking, [universities] are living in the past and have failed to learn from history. No one should ever be subjected to racial harassment in any setting.

“Our report reveals that not only are universities out of touch with the extent that this is occurring on their campuses, some are also completely oblivious to the issue. This isn’t good enough.”

The watchdog is calling on the universities to ensure that students and staff are able to report harassment and that their complaints procedures are fit for purpose.

Earlier this month, a report from Universities UK (UUK) said institutions have been prioritising sexual harassment and gender-based violence but less status has been given to race-based incidents.

At the time, Professor Julia Buckingham, president of UUK, has called on university leaders to take “urgent action” over the issues and make it a “top priority”.

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She said: “There is no place for racial harassment on a university campus, or anywhere else – and I find it sad and shocking how many people are still subject to it. Universities must be places where all students and staff are able to flourish and we must intensify our work to ensure this happens.”

The organisation will be seeking independent, external expertise to advise universities on effective actions and how to scrutinise and challenge action plans.

Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU), said: “There must be a zero-tolerance approach to racial harassment in and around our universities. Universities have to recognise the scale of the problem and take serious steps to deal with it, and to support those who come forward or are affected by it.

“We agree with the EHRC that there needs to be a proactive duty on universities to protect staff from harassment and an improved reporting process for staff and students.”

Additional reporting by Press Association

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