A study conducted by Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland, showed that most pupils from these Central and Eastern European countries have faced racism, xenophobia or bullying from fellow students or teachers, the Guardian reported.
Almost half of the young respondents, 49 percent, said they saw their situation worsen after the Brexit referendum in 2016.
The authors of the research focused on children between the ages of 12 and 18. They selected more than 1,000 pupils from Poland, Lithuania and Romania who had lived in the UK for at least three years. The researchers collected their answers about their feelings of safety and bullying at school for two years.
According to the study, young people were not only attacked verbally but also physically. Most of the incidents took place at school, although some occurred in the street or on public transport.
Daniela Sime, the author of the report, said: “The role of teachers, who were often said to be bystanders and did not intervene, or in some situations became perpetrators themselves, emerged as a profoundly important dimension of young people’s everyday experiences of marginalisation.”
Sime added that prejudice has affected the children's sense of belonging to the UK community and is reflected in their mental health.
(aba/pk)
Source: The Guardian