Everyone is different
Everyone is different, your hair is a different colour and length and your body shape is different from everybody else.
The differences are what make you YOU. The only time someone is exactly the same as someone else is if they are one of an identical birth. (A twin or triplet) But even identical children can have different feelings about things.
Some people are thin, some fat, some tall and some small, but we are all made of the same stuff and the blood that runs through our vains is red and if we are cut we bleed and we hurt.
Common differences that people can notice are
- the colour of their skin,
- the God they believe in,
- that they are in a wheel chair,
- that they behave differently,
- that they can't hear or see,
- that they are a boy and fancy boys,
- that they are a girl and fancy girls,
- that they have a girls body but they are a boy,
- that they have a boys body but they are a girl.
It is wrong to pick on someone even if they are different. The people that do this are bullies.
What is a Hate Crime?
Sometime people can get really angry or really sad because someone has been mean to them. Feeling sad or angry can really hurt inside. To take their mind off how much they are hurting they hit out at others who they can easily see are different from themselves.
Some people hate others because they think they are different or they are doing something that they don't like. That hate can turn into hitting the people who are different or calling them names. This is a Hate Crime.
Hate Crimes
A hate crime is any hate incident which is a criminal offence and the victim or any other person believes it to be because of prejudice (an opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience) or hate.
The police record a hate incident if the victim or another person believes it is motivated by the hatred of someone because of a particular factor. Those factors include:
- A person's disability
- Their race, ethnicity or nationality
- Their religion or belief
- Their sexual orientation
- Their transgender identity
Everyone has the right to be treated with respect. If someone is picking on you, talk to a trusted adult like a parent or a teacher.
If you and your parents or carers feel that the school is not listening please contact the Police Child Centred Policing or the Police Diversity Team.
If you do not want to involve the Police please contact Childline who can provide advice and help on 0800 1111.
If your life is in Danger always phone 999.
Remember: Treat others as you would like to be treated by them.