Safaplace

Safaplace is appalled by what happened to Child Q. It is already shocking that a 15-year-old was stripped-searched at a school in Hackney by police, and in the absence of an appropriate adult. What compounds the offence is that racism clearly played a role in these events.

We know that the alleged reason for the search – a smell of cannabis – was found to be unjustified. We know that no parental communication was made. We know the victim was menstruating and was made to expose intimate parts of her body. What is unsurprising but also heart-breaking, is that Child Q continues to suffer psychologically.

Safaplace welcomes the Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review which said the search should never have happened, and was “unlikely to have been disconnected from her ethnicity and her background as a child growing up on an estate in Hackney”, and echoes local MP’s Diane Abbot’s views in pinpointing racism and misogyny in the Metropolitan police.

Safaplace notes the important work being carried out by racial justice campaigners and academics, including Temi Mwale and Jahnine Davies, who have highlighted specific racial bias, including adultification, in the UK’s health, education and criminal justice systems.

As a charity that campaigns for young mental health by making our neighbourhood and schools safer places, we commit to ensuring that our community is safe for everyone. What happened to Child Q is the exact opposite of that.

Racism, misogyny and class bias must be given no place in Hackney’s schools. In opposing this incident, Child Q has challenged prejudices and helped make schools safer for all. We salute her bravery and spirit, and absolutely support her family in seeking just consequences for those involved.

Safaplace recalls that Child Q and her family are legally entitled to anonymity around this case; this requirement must be fully respected.