Asylum seekers, refugees and bullying
There are an estimated 10,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Scotland (Scottish Refugee Council), the majority living in Glasgow. There are around seventy different nationalities, the majority being, Iranian, Iraqi, Pakistani, Somali, Congolese, Afghan, Turkish and Chinese. Many refugee and asylum seeking children and young people are unaccompanied, living in the care of the state in residential care homes and foster homes.

Children and young people who are seeking asylum or have been granted refugee status are doing so to escape persecution on the grounds of their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. They are unable to return home. Stigma due to lack of knowledge and understanding of asylum seekers and refugees and reluctance to burden parents with extra worries can allow bullying to go undetected and continue.

Children and young people who are asylum seekers or refugees may be at greater risk of bullying directly and indirectly. This can range from people saying hurtful things, which may not be intended to be hurtful, to deliberate physical attacks. It can be identified by the motivation of the bully, the language used, and/or by the fact that the victims are singled out because of their race, the way they talk, their ethnic background, their nationality, or by their religious or cultural practices.

Fear of bullying and attacks can have an adverse effect on integration and engagement into the wider community, with many children and young people reluctant to become involved in leisure and social activities after school.

The stereotypes and myths that surround asylum seekers and refugees create hostile attitudes and prejudicial views that result in bullying being accepted and perhaps not challenged as readily as it would be with any other minority group.  
 

Barriers to telling that bullying is taking place:
  • Due to negative treatment from authority figures there can be a lack of trust in approaching for help and advice
  • Language barriers can prevent children and young people being able to express themselves fully, especially in times of stress through bullying
  • Home experiences such as poverty and the mental anguish of adults waiting for a decision on an asylum application can result in children not wanting to add any more pressure to their parent's situation
  • A desire to ‘fit in' and not draw further attention to themselves can prevent children and young people coming forward about bullying
  • A view that children and young people who are asylum seekers and refugees should be ‘happy to be here' can make them feel that they should just put up with the bullying behaviour

For further information, please visit the Scottish Refugee Council