Polish woman called 'prostitute' on school run as study finds Eastern European women facing racism

An Eastern European woman living in the North East said she has been verbally abused while on the school run because of her nationality.

The woman said a person shouted "polish prostitute" at her while she was walking her daughter to school.

Her testimony is part of a study which looks into the discrimination faced by Eastern European women across the North East.

Other women reported having been attacked in their own homes, verbally abused in local parks and even bullied in the workplace.

Molly Sharples has been speaking to the women about their experiences of hate crime.

Sunderland University surveyed 127 women from different Eastern European countries, living across the North East about their experiences with discrimination, based on both their nationality and their gender.

It found that:- 46% have experienced verbal abuse- 36% had experienced racially motivated and sex-based discrimination in their employment (25% by a business, organisation or service provider and 14% by healthcare providers)- 32% have experienced intimidation, threats and harassment- 18% had experienced property damage - 12% had been the victim of a physical assault

One of the women who took part in the study was "Anna". This is not her real name. She feared that if she was identified, she would experience more abuse.

She said she has faced hate crimes on "many occasions", including being targeted in her own home.

She added: "A group of young people were hanging around next to my house.

"They heard us speaking in another language.

“They threw stones at our car and in my garden, where my little child was playing.

“The situation became very dangerous, and the group became more and more aggressive.

“Even when I tried to talk to these kids they became even more aggressive. They stood in a group with sticks in their hands. They were shouting racial slurs.

“I felt trapped and helpless because I didn't know what to do. I called the police.

“I didn't feel safe. For three nights my husband and I didn't sleep at all."

“I was afraid that those kids would come back. I was paranoid about it for about two weeks.

“I put up CCTV cameras.

“It was such a traumatic experience and I can’t erase it from my memory.”

Anna said that these instances of discrimination happen in all aspects of her life including her workplace.

She added: “People have shouted racial slurs at me at the park before in front of my children.

“I get more of this abuse when I am alone with the children, probably because I am a woman, I am more vulnerable, I can not react, but when there is a man next to me, this doesn’t happen.

“If somebody is standing close, you know two or three metres away, I try not to speak my language because I don’t know if they will hear it and become abusive."

Leading the study was Dr Louise Harvey-Golding. She said some of the testimonies she received from the women were shocking and emotional.

She said some of the women told her they would avoid speaking in public places, even when in a group, to try and pass as British.

Some of the women also reported being told not to speak their own language at work and being teased for their name and English speaking skills.

Dr Harvey-Golding added: "Even the sexism and the sexual harassment has a racial element and that is what's really different about what Eastern European women are experiencing.

"Yes, all Eastern European people are experiencing increased levels of racism in the UK.

"However Eastern European women are experiencing something that is distinct to that population.

"It's racism, it's sexual harassment, it's sexism and it's also classism and all of that comes together in a really toxic mix that is having a huge impact on Eastern European women's lives."

Julia Wysocka is a community support officer for International Community Organisation of Sunderland (ICOS).

She runs a community support group for Eastern European women living in the North East.

She said they had been inundated with stories of hate crimes and discrimination from the women and so they approached Sunderland University to look into it further.

Ms Wysocka said was not shocked by the results of the study.

She added: "There have always been issues with hate crime and anti-social behaviour and ICOS has always supported people with that but we have been seeing more women coming forward with experiences with hate crime.

"Women who have been attacked on the street, been attacked in their place of work, even being attacked by their neighbours, which was obviously very alarming.

"Women with lived experience wanted to be involved and wanted their voices to be heard.

"The results haven't really shocked me. We knew the issues were there.

"It did give me more of a picture of what was happening. I have also been a victim of hate crime so I know exactly what the women have been through."

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