THE TRAUMATIC strip-search of Child Q in a Hackney school by police officers was a “violation of human rights”, a former director of education in the north-east London borough has said.
Professor Gus John said the humiliating intimate search on the 15-year-old girl reminded him of how children were treated in apartheid South Africa, and said this was an example of the creeping “securitisation” of education with police patrolling school corridors.
It emerged today that 25 intimate searches were carried out on children in one year in Hackney, sparking fears that this is becoming a widespread practice in diverse and multicultural schools across Britain. Of those 25 strip-searches, 23 were black, and in almost all cases nothing incriminating was found.
Professor John warned that the practice of strip-searching was becoming increasingly common, along with school exclusions of black primary pupils for ‘sexual assault’.
A report into the Child Q incident, which took place in December 2020, found that it had a traumatic effect, transforming her from a “happy-go-lucky girl to a timid recluse that hardly speaks” and who now self-harms.
Teachers at the school searched Child Q’s bag, blazer, scarf, and shoes after thinking they smelt cannabis, but when this search found nothing they called the police.
After four officers arrived, the child was subjected to an “undignified, humiliating, and degrading” intimate search. No drugs were found.
Child Q told the police she was on her period but officers made her take out her sanitary product and then reinsert it, before teachers told her to go and sit an exam without asking how she was.
In a written statement to the review, Child Q said: “Someone walked into the school, where I was supposed to feel safe, took me away from the people who were supposed to protect me and stripped me naked, while on my period.
“On the top of preparing for the most important exams of my life. I can’t go a single day without wanting to scream, shout, cry or just give up.
“I feel like I’m locked in a box, and no one can see or cares that I just want to go back to feeling safe again, my box is collapsing around me, and no-one wants to help.” “I don’t know if I’m going to feel normal again. I don’t know how long it will take to repair my box. But I do know this can’t happen to anyone, ever again.”
Professor John, who became the first black head of education when he was appointed to Hackney in 1989, said black children were increasingly being targeted by police who were not only being invited by teachers to deal with low-level matters, but in many cases police were being permanently stationed in schools.
He told The Voice: “There is a war on black youth. We saw increased securitisation of schools after the 2011 riots following the killing of Mark Duggan, when the government ramped up all of those provisions and powers it gave schools. And now black children in schools are under siege.”
He added that the intimate search had violated seven clauses of the United Nations convention on the rights of children.
Campaigners believe the stationing of cops in schools is accelerating the criminalisation of black children as teachers effectively contract-out their responsibility to keep order to the police.
An official investigation into the Child Q case found that racism and the “adultification” of black children were factors.
The report said: ““Having considered the context of the incident, the views of those engaged in the review and the impact felt by Child Q and her family, racism (whether deliberate or not) was likely to have been an influencing factor in the decision to undertake a strip search.
“One feature believed to have a significance to the experience of Child Q is that of adultification bias. This concept is where adults perceive Black children as being older than they are.”
Professor John said this had echoes in the sexualisation of black primary school children who were being expelled for sexual assault. He is the co-founder of the Communities Empowerment Network which is dealing with the case of a four-year-old boy who was excluded after a “you show me yours, I’ll show you mine” incident.
Hackney MP Diane Abbott today wrote to a senior police officer in her borough, writing on Twitter: “The indignities that Child Q was subjected to are not an aberration, they’re part of a bigger picture of institutional racism and discrimination within policing.”
Zahra Bei, a teacher with 20 years experience, and campaigner in the organisation No More Exclusions, said that the education system was inflicting “state violence” on black children.
She told The Voice: “I see teachers acting more like prison guards and cops than educators.”
“I don’t want to de-centre the story of Child Q, but also we know there are many Child Q’s that have been treated like this.”
Earlier today, The Voice revealed that 90% of teachers had not received diversity training on tackling racial bias in the classroom.
Bei campaigns against the high rates of exclusions of black children, as academy managers look to improve exam results, and lack of public accountability around those exclusions.
In a statement Det Supt Dan Rutland, of the Met’s Central East Command, said: “We recognise that the findings of the safeguarding review reflect this incident should never have happened.
“It is truly regrettable and on behalf of the Met Police I would like to apologise to the child concerned, her family and the wider community.”
Scotland Yard refused to say whether any disciplinary action had been taken against any officers involved, and said that they are waiting for the outcome of an investigation by the Independent Office of Police Complaints. The IOPC did not respond.
The investigation report found that the national Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel tried to discourage investigators from looking into the case, writing “[we] would encourage you to think carefully about whether one is necessary as we felt that this case was not notifiable and did not meet the criteria for a [local child safeguarding practice review].” A review was carried out against this advice.
The Voice will be hosting a Twitter debate with Professor Gus John and other guests tomorrow (Thursday 17th March) at 3pm. Visit our Twitter handle then: @TheVoiceNews
Comments Form
10 Comments
As a previous School governor for two schools just over twenty years ago, It seems to me that black parents are still not taking active roles in school governerships and parent teacher organisations. Also where are the fathers in the continued predicament and marginalisations of black pupils? It is imperative that black fathers must start standing up for their children unfortunately this is largely due to the rampant single parent families amongst the black family unit and headteachers and teachers are taking full advantage of the continued situation. There needs to be an open discussion involving both parents.
Mrs AJ
Instead of condemning the conduct of the school and police officers you are choosing to condemn parents of black school students. I am appalled you ever worked as a school governor- I feel very sorry for any children that were under your authority.
You are completely missing the point here. You seem to almost be excusing the conduct of the officers against Child Q.
This student was a straight A student, sitting her exams at the time the search was called for. It was a disgusting operation against a 15 year old child. It has nothing to do with parental involvement in schools and everything to do with what is wrong with our current educational system. Schools have a role to play in the welfare of children – instead they are becoming perpetrators of racial abuse and sexual violation.
What a diabolical shambles on our country schools and police force. To think that such demoralising thing can happen to a 15years old and all that is offered is an apology I am ashamed to be apart of this country that believe this alright and becoming norm
This is thev police force and school safeguarding that are meant to keep human safe.
Everyone associated who stood and allowed this to take place needs to be investigated.
I urge local MPs of Hackney to look in the matter urgently. This is wrong on so many levels
This is awful. The school and the police had zero interest in protecting that child or in protecting her dignity as a woman and human being.
What they did was digusting, shameful, and racist. And they thought they would get away with it because she was Black. Matter of fact, it wouldn’t have happened if she was White.
The family should file a lawsuit if they can. That should be considered a violation of her rights.
Such violation, inhumane, cruel. For what. Simply that she is black. There is no justification on the planet. This cuts deep. Hurts badly. Angry hugely. This could have been my 15 year old self. The callousness and casual manner about strip searching a child. Who in the Met signed off on this? How could the Headteacher and pastoral director sanction this violence against their student? As for the Met apology… where have we heard that before. Means nothing.
25 strip searches of minors??? How can this be happening?? Heads need to roll, I feel sick!!
I’m white, and male. I live in South Tottenham, a short bus ride away from Hackney. I can’t stop thinking about this; about what this girl was made to go through. I’m utterly sick and ashamed. The racism and the cruelty go hand in hand; you would not treat this way anyone for whom you felt human sympathy and respect. And it feels as if it’s getting worse.
Instead of going forward black people are being forced backward.
Authoritarian racism is a road black people walk all the time.
This is a child for goodness sake, but when it comes to the police you’re just another black person they neither show any respect to or have any regard towards.
It’s always a case of if we apologise it won’t matter.
No.
It does matter.
When will these permitted thugs learn that what they did with our elders and us is what they are doing to our children.
Then they wonder why they are hated and not just by people of colour who when given the chance they will abuse or kill.
A menstruating young girl humiliated in that manner will find it difficult to recover.
It is like almost being raped.
Think about if ever one of your children suffer a similar fate, will you be OK with it?
The teachers who are supposed to be responsible for this child’s welfare while in their care seem silent but are as bad as the filthy act committed by the police who allow themselves to humiliate this girl.
You are all cursed and take a while to think about your actions.
Whatever happened to using your discretion?
Answer: You don’t do discretion you do racism pure and simple. .. . .
Ha. . . .
The whole story reaks of cover-ups from all angles. What has happened to the leadership of the school? This is a failure to protect the child in a place where safeguarding is so high a priority for schools.
Where were the teachers? Why did this be allowed to escalate to involve the police? Where was the safeguarding lead? Where were the parents? The school is culpable and has covered up their involvement and needs to be held to task.
I have heard of more instances of the police and their racism in the borough, man-handling children and handcuffing them in public. Time to hold multi agencies to task and every school need a black safeguarding officer to protect the children where there are clearly failing from communities that do not understand or work to protect all children, whatever their ethnic background.
The horrible truth Voice reader is even if the Police Constable who supervised the illegal strip-search of this African-heritage school pupil had been African-heritage; the strip-search of this innocent pupil would still have occurred because Police Constable are trained to obey orders.
They are not paid to think independently.
This is the reason Voice reader why the political Left’s “diversity” is not a solution against Police prejudice; discrimination and racism.