10 Years of Tackling Racist Incidents
The PARINS Partnership was launched 10 years ago in March 1999. Since then it has grown into a unique partnership of statutory and voluntary organisations which not only records and monitors incidents of racial harassment but, very rarely amongst such partnerships also offers practical help and support to the victims of racist crimes.
This casework provision is delivered by Stoke on Trent CAB, on behalf of the Partnership. In 2008/9 PARINS responded to 305 reports of harassment compared to 218 in 2001. 86 cases were referred to the caseworker, the other two thirds being addressed without the need for the full casework intervention.
Following casework 88% of people said they felt safer at home and 84% felt safer outside. 93% experienced less stress and anxiety and 91% said they felt supported and were happy that there was an organisation specifically tasked with addressing racial harassment.
Raising awareness of the project and what it can achieve is as much of a priority now as it was when the service was launched. In the last year leaflets and publicity materials have been translated into 15 community languages, and the project actively supports a network of reporting centres based in a variety of community locations.
There is still a need for the provision of outreach services to ensure as many people as possible who experience racial harassment can access the service.
During the year Partnership staff have worked closely with a range of partner agencies to help them develop and improve their response to allegations of racial harassment.
The unfortunate demise of the North Staffs Racial Equality Council in February 2009 removed a key player from the Partnership. Fortunately, PARINS has been strong enough to withstand that serious blow and continues to deliver its essential services.
The beauty of the PARINS approach is that it’s a genuine Partnership of statutory and voluntary organisations where the whole is far greater than sum of its parts.
This Partnership approach is extremely important in maintaining and restoring people’s faith in the Criminal Justice System which is often seen as remote and unresponsive.
In a city where a government survey in 2004 found that 40% of respondents thought that people being attacked because of their skin colour or ethnic origin was a serious problem, the need for PARINS is as great now as it has ever been.
Stoke on Trent CAB is proud to be an active partner in PARINS and remain unequivocally committed to its aims and objectives.
'Hand Held High' photograph (above) taken by 'The Sentinel'
Case Study
'Margaret' was a single mother of Zimbabwean origin living with her five year old child in a council property in the north of the city. Three months after moving into her new home she experienced a series of incidents of harassment. These included verbal abuse, smashed windows, a vandalised car and people banging on her doors and windows late at night. Understandably, Margaret and her son found this extremely distressing.
She reported the incident to her local service centre who immediately referred her to PARINS for casework support.
When Stoke CAB’s Race Harassment Caseworker, Tas Hussain, interviewed 'Margaret' he discovered there had been two incidents in particular which had triggered her decision to report the issues.
In one her washing had been pulled of the line in her back garden and thrown on the ground, and in the other incident someone had tried to climb into her kitchen window and grab items from the inside. Following this last incident she called the police.
Having taken down full details of the incident Tas Hussain explored the various options open to her and they agreed that the harassment had become so intolerable that the only viable option was for her to move home. This request was put to the local service centre who required full details of the incident and evidence of police reports.
Tas Hussain was able to explain to the local centre that the incident had been reported to the police but as they were not seen as an emergency they had not been logged as priorities. Tas was able to persuade the local office that given the nature and frequency of the harassment plus the attempted entry into the property there was a serious risk of the harassment escalating into something far more serious. This argument convinced the council to prioritise a move.
Within two months of the initial referral the PARINS enquirer had been moved to an area of the city where she and her son are happy and living free from harassment.
“Incidents like these are unfortunately all too common,” said CAB Equalities Team Manager Jude Hawes. “Very often our role is to speak on behalf of victims to ensure that those agencies who can put in place solutions can make informed decisions and are fully aware of the extent and seriousness of the harassment and, equally importantly, the effect this harassment has on the victim and their family”.