A report into inequalities experienced by Belfast’s black, Asian, minority ethnic and Traveller communities has been desribed as "sobering" by the city's Lord Mayor.
Mayor and Sinn Féin Councillor Tina Black was reacting to a study commissioned by the council, the Belfast Trust and the Public Health Agency, the findings of which were launched today (Thursday December 1st).
It was carried out by a team of researchers who interviewed more than 100 Belfast residents from a minority ethnic or migrant background. Many of those who took part in the study said they continued to face racism, isolation and poverty with this affecting how they participate in civic, political, social and economic life.
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The study found inequalities exist across education, work and access to services, and people born outside Northern Ireland find it difficult to have their qualifications and skills recognised. Many residents from minority ethnic/migrant communities are trapped in low-paid jobs and find it difficult to progress in their career, very often because of institutional inequalities and barriers.
The study also found children and young people are at risk of being bullied because of their ethnicity, faith and/or background, while lack of housing stock is a barrier to integration and inclusion.
In the study just three-quarters of minority ethnic and migrant participants said they feel safe and secure in Belfast, compared to more than 90% of the city’s residents overall. Those who reported hate crimes to the police in the past are largely disinclined to do so again because of unsatisfactory outcomes. 38% of participants have experienced a racist hate crime in Belfast, and 41% experienced discrimination in other contexts. Two-fifths of parents reported that their children experienced racist bullying in schools.
The report states: "There is some mobility between nationalist and loyalist areas, but there continues to be a substantial level of racist and xenophobic hate crime in the city, and this is used strategically in some areas to deter migrants and minority ethnic residents from choosing to live there."
It adds: "Poverty is a real risk for migrants who work in low-paid low-skilled jobs (sometimes despite having higher qualifications), who are parents of young children, and who find the services supporting them already significantly stretched. Their children experience unfair disadvantage in schools and social activities because of both language and perceived cultural or religious differences which are amplified by racism."
It states: "There is little opportunity or interest in joining other community groups, as local residents’ groups are perceived as uninterested in migrant or minority ethnic members joining them, and opportunities for interaction are seen as limited. The badging of events for nationalist/republican or loyalist/unionist communities deters migrants from attending.
"Politics is broadly seen as inaccessible and irrelevant because of a Green/Orange emphasis, even in local constituency and neighbourhood matters. Trust in political representatives is particularly low across all ethnic and national groups in this study."
The Lord Mayor said at the launch: “No one could deny that this research makes for very sobering reading and it should be a call to action for everyone here today, including the council. Clearly we can, and should do better, and today we gave a commitment that we will.
“Belfast is a diverse city, and I’m proud to say we are a City of Sanctuary, but the experiences documented in this report challenges us and our partners to reflect on what it means for our organisations, and to make sure we work together to do all we can to create a city of equals and address issues around racism, prejudice and discrimination."
She added: “The council has already started work on a Race Equality Action Plan and our community plan for the city (the Belfast Agenda) has an inclusive and diverse city at its heart. We have also adopted the Race at Work Charter which gives a commitment to promoting racial equality in our workforce and we are reviewing underrepresentation in our own staff.
"We will also look at identifying any inequalities in service delivery, and looking at how we can ensure our decision-making is inclusive. The findings show what we already know: that people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, and Travellers, are not represented in key institutions and boardrooms, so there is much work to be done to remove the barriers that exist and encourage better participation in all aspects of civic life.”
One of the speakers at the event was Dr Livingstone Thompson, chair of the African Caribbean Support Organisation NI. Welcoming the report, Dr Thompson said: “We are particularly keen to see how the issues, especially relating to housing will be addressed. Mitigating the risk of destitution is particularly imperative.”
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