Hi there,
Its illegal for people to be treated differently or unfairly because of their race.
Racist bullying is where people are treated differently because of their race, the colour of their skin, where they are from or what they believe in. It can include using offensive words that describe race. Its not okay for people to make negative comments to you or to speak about you to other people.
Being bullied for any reason can make people feel lonely and sad. I want you to know that whats happening to you isnt your fault. You dont deserve to be hurt and made to feel bad, and there are ways to build your confidence after bullying.
It can be hard to know how to cope and I want you to know that whether the bullying is happening at school, in public areas or online, itd be okay to tell an adult you trust about it and to ask them to help you get it stopped. You could tell a teacher, family member, friend, or the police.
It can be hard speaking to an adult about whats going on and how its making you feel. It can help to prepare what to say in advance and its also a good idea if you can provide evidence of what is happening to you. It can also help to keeping a record of the racist comments like who said what and when and how you managed the situation would be useful. We can help if youd like to talk this through.
Bullying often takes place when someones on their own. If this is happening to you, you could ask a friend to stay with you when possible, perhaps on your walk home from school or on the bus, or having people around whenever you can.
Remember, you can always talk to a counsellor about anything thats going on. And you could also check out the message boards to see how other people are coping in a similar situation.
Take care for now.
Sam
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
You can ask me about anything you want, there's nothing too big or small. I read every single letter but I can only answer a few each week. My replies are published here on my page.
