Many ethnic minority residents of Belfast including Asians have continued to experience “racism, isolation and poverty” impacting their social and personal life, new research has revealed.
Researchers, who interviewed more than 100 people from black, Asian, minority ethnic and Traveller communities, found there were inequalities across education, work and access to services.
According to the study commissioned by the Northern Ireland capital city’s council, Belfast Trust and the Public Health Agency, children and young people are at risk of being bullied due to their ethnicity, faith or background.
Several residents from minority ethnic or migrant communities were trapped in low-paid jobs while institutional inequalities and barriers “very often” affected their career progress, the research found.
It revealed that the residents of the city born outside Northern Ireland found it difficult to have their qualifications and skills recognised.
While overcrowding and housing quality are the top issues migrant and minority ethnic residents of Belfast face, low income makes homeownership challenging.
Discrimination in the private rental market meant that people are driven into precarious living situations, with short-term and even exploitative illegal rental agreements, the report said.
Northern Ireland’s population comprises about 125,000 people from minority ethnic communities including those with Indian and Chinese roots. The number of asylum seekers and migrants is also growing in the region.
Belfast’s Lord Mayor Tina Black the findings were a call for action to “do better” and “we gave a commitment that we will.”
Taking pride in the diversity of the city, Black said the experiences documented in the research report “challenged” the council and its partners to work together “to create a city of equals and address issues around racism, prejudice and discrimination”.
She promised to look at identifying any inequalities in service delivery and ensuring “our decision-making is inclusive.”
The findings also showed that people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds and Travellers, were “not represented in key institutions and boardrooms”, the Lord Mayor said.
Ethnic minorities of Belfast face racism, isolation: Research
Many young people are at risk of bullying because of their ethnicity or faith, the study finds.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)