Articles | 'One in four children' bullied

'One in four children' bullied

Published: Monday, 17 November 2008, 10:48AM

One in four children have been bullied because of their religious beliefs, a report has said.

A study by the Beatbullying charity said a lack of community cohesion had led to a rise in faith-based bullying.

It found that those bullied because of their religious beliefs often began to question their faith, stopped talking about it, or even felt ashamed of it.

They have often faced racial abuse, been physically attacked, spat at, mugged, beaten, or even stabbed.

Emma-Jane Cross, chief executive of Beatbullying, said: "The findings from our survey clearly indicate the lack of support and direction our young people have to openly discuss and understand faith based issues with their peers.

"Beatbullying worries that this lack of cohesion is cultivating at best a lack of understanding and at worst a lack of tolerance of other faiths."

The study comes as a new online kit was launched to allow teachers to identify pupils at risk of being bullied.

Assesswise to Beat Bullying is an online survey which asks pupils how they feel about a range of subjects including friendships, relationships and home life.