Prejudice & Discrimination

Prejudice and discrimination towards others because of their race, religion, sexuality, gender, age or disability status is a problem in today’s society, one that applies to the internet as much as anywhere else. It is important for parents to understand the risks posed by this kind of behaviour and material online, and to discuss them with their children. This page contains material about prejudice and discrimination related issues to make that easier, along with links to further sources of help and information.

A hate crime is any behaviour that is motivated by hatred of another person simply because they belong to a specific group relating to gender, race, religion, disability, age and/or sexuality.

Reporting hate online and elsewhere
If you discover any UK hosted internet content which appears to incite or stir up hatred against particular groups or individuals you should report this to the http://www.iwf.org.uk/ If you wish to report a hate-related incident to the police via the internet go to IBWF Or if you have been a victim of hate-crime you can get help here Victim Support There are also links to more information about prejudice and hate at the bottom of this page.

You should also report all hate crimes to: http://www.report-it.org.uk/

How does all this apply to the Internet?
Websites and newsgroups, chat-rooms and forums reflect the beliefs of those who create and use them. This is a problem when these beliefs are discriminatory, prejudiced, or tries to incite discrimination against particular groups of people. Different online formats may be used as a way of spreading prejudiced beliefs, conducting abusive activities or expressing offensive attitudes. These can all have a negative effect on young people. This can include racist, homophobic or sexist content, or material designed to stir up hatred between people of different faiths.

What is this material and where does it come from?
Hate related content can come in different forms and is mostly generated by other internet users and groups. It can represent intolerant political (e.g. neo-Nazi), religious (e.g. anti-Jewish, Moslem or Christian) or personal (e.g. anti-gay) attitudes alongside a range of other extreme viewpoints (e.g. survivalist or conspiracy groups.) Sometimes it is presented as the real ‘truth’ or ‘facts’ about a target-group, whilst using incorrect or misleading information to encourage hostility towards them. Sometimes it is more open, simply saying that it is ok to be hostile or prejudiced because of something unacceptable or threatening about the target-group. Sometimes it is simply direct abuse aimed at individuals in online spaces.

What are the problems with this type of material?
This type of content may encourage, reinforce or make prejudiced beliefs seem acceptable. Exposure to such material can be problematic for young people as it may lead to prejudiced behaviour and negative attitudes or activities against others. Young people may not always be aware of the prejudiced or hostile intent behind some types of online material and therefore be vulnerable to negative influence on their own attitudes and behaviours. They may not always realise that certain types of material or activity are inappropriate, unacceptable or even against the law. Another problem is that young people may find themselves in a situation where they are the target of hostility, offensive material or behaviour because of a personal characteristic (skin-colour, religion, culture, sexuality etc.) Incidents such as these, whether online, at school or in the community, are unacceptable and can have serious emotional and physical consequences for the victim. It is important to remember that anything which encourages or incites violence or hatred against others is a form of hate crime and should be reported.

What can I do?
Talk through the issues raised above with your children. Even if it you find it difficult to bring up the subject, you can use natural opportunities (e.g., relevant television programs or newspaper articles), or visit websites that cover the area like those listed at the bottom of this page. Education has a key role to play in reducing prejudice and hate crime, and in learning to value diversity and the people around us. That is why it is important that children have a good understanding of why hate-related content and behaviour is a problem. Let them know that you feel comfortable discussing subjects like prejudice and discrimination, why such attitudes and behaviour are a problem and what can be done about it. Let them know that if they experience online prejudice, hate or abuse as a victim or observer, that there are things that can be done. Let them know that it is unacceptable to take part in this kind of behaviour themselves and educate them about the consequences of such behaviour for the victims. Given that young people today are interacting online, creating websites and blogs and publishing their own opinions on all kinds of things, it is important that you are aware of, and discuss, issues of tolerance, respect for others and responsible behaviour on the internet and in everyday life.