Speech for World Bullying Forum. Theme: Bullying and Migration- racism, integration and inclusion.

It is with great pleasure that I join some incredible speakers for this year’s World Anti Bullying Forum. This forum is of particular interest to me as it offers the opportunity for practitioners and researchers, carers and children to join in this important conversation around anti bullying.

Anti-bullying sits very closely with Inclusion, which is the focus of my work.

As a professional I work on inclusion within education systems and its links to violence in schools. For this introduction I will speak on this years seminar theme Bullying and migration – racism, integration and inclusion from a personal voice.  

This year has been an important year in terms of recognising the nuances and redefinition of bullying and how it can be the pre-curser to racist acts within schools and communities. The links between homophobic bullying and racially motivated bullying for example are becoming more well known which allow us to identify, acknowledge and to act.

I am proud migrant.  I am Gambian , Malian , French, Swedish.  I have lived in 6 countries and I speak 5 languages . I am also a mother to two young children who were born and raised in Sweden. I must admit , I moved to Sweden out of pure curiosity.  Happy in London I was drawn to this country which boasts of feminism, diversity and gender equality. From the outside looking in, I thought to myself this is where I want my children to be born.

A place where my son can dance in a skirt without eyesbrows raised.

A place where my husband can cook and bake without questions asked.

A place where my husband can enjoy as much paternity leave as I do, equally.

A place where my daughter can aspire to leadership roles without glass ceilings.

And so we moved.

We started a family

And I realised I was wrong.

As a new mother I was routinely ignored in medical offices or  baby groups .

My children have been scorned, punched, and worse made to feel like lesser humans before even the age of 6.

Our experience is sadly not unique.

In Sweden Afroswedes are the Swedish minority most exposed to hate and these hate crimes are characterized by a high proportion of physical violence, which often take place in public areas, such as schools, and place of work.

I witnessed this first hand in my first few years in Sweden where I worked in a number of schools and preschools. The exclusion and bullying that I saw in was strongly underlined by homophobia and racism, and what was interesting to note , is that teachers were better equipped to recognise and address the former but not the latter.

I also found it hard to have conversations around race and discrimination. There was a general sense of racial blindness amplified by the fact that Sweden had removed the word race from legislation and common discourse a few years ago.

But bullying relating to race continues to persist.

 In 2018, the FRIENDS report noted that 25% of children in year 1 to 3 reported feeling worried about being alone and excluded during break time. A closer look as to the reason why children were excluded or bullied at school we find  “their country of origin” and their “ethnic background” at the top of the. The  2021, report showed that the figures remain much the same. 

Children tell us that they are systematically excluded.  They tell us that demeaning and racist language is common in schools with the N* word being used frequently by children and adults alike with little to no consequences.

And what sadens me the most, we find in the same reports that only 54% of children trust that the school system and their teachers would react and that there will be consequences to bullying .

Children and parents tell us that there is a lack of support, training and knowledge around racism and discrimination which means children who are victimised are often left without support.

Every year I get a pang of anxiety at the start of term.

Every year I anticipate the call or the message from another parent, another child who has been bullied , victimised or worse, because of the color of their skin.

Every year I dread the call from my childrens school, perhaps its our turn- yet again.

What is means is that as non-white parents are burdened to prepare our children to respond to and defend themselves from racism right from their very first day.

By the age of three my daughter no longer wanted to be brown, she wanted to be normal , so she could also look like a princess. Because all princesses are white right?

By the age of 6 she was surrounded, and punched by a group of children.

Her hair has been pulled at

Her nose questioned

Her identity examined.

Not once, did an adult step in to defend her.

The line between teasing and bullying , violence and aggression seems blurred at times.

Beyond physical acts, our children’s self esteem and self worth is at stake.

And that is where I chose to act. Besides all that I do in this sector, my children asked of me something that I never anticipated. They looked on the bookshelves and asked me where was their story.

That was moment I became a writer of children’s books. Because beyond safeguarding their bodies and their right to safe and quality education, I also wanted to inspire their minds. To show them that their lives matter, that they could be princesses, and astronauts, geologist and librarians. Despite what the media shows, we could be so much more and indeed we are so much more  than a stereotype.

Bullying and violence in Swedish schools is well documented in academic and public institutions, however gender and at times class, are the most common lens applied to the analysis,

 given the reluctance to acknowledge race within the Swedish discourse.  Terms such as racially motivated bullying and racially motivated violence in schools are equally new and yet key to addressing it.

All children have the right to be safe in school, and the right to receive the appropriate support and help when needed.  The education system must strive to counteract racism and discrimination while doing parallel work to build inclusion in the education community. Because our children matter.

Thank you.