Children's campaign to break down cultural differences

THE safety and welfare of children in black and minority ethnic (BME) communities across the UK is the focus of a new campaign by a national children's charity.

The NSPCC, including ChildLine in Scotland, aims to reach across cultural barriers in BME communities to highlight the need to keep children safe from abuse.

John Brownlow, head of partnerships and representation at the NSPCC, said: "Child abuse can happen in any culture, and may sometimes be unwittingly fostered through customs and traditions."

Evender Harron, safeguarding manager at the charity, added: "We find that BME groups are harder to reach as they tend not to use local support systems available to them.

"What we aim to do by focusing on the BME communities is highlight the importance of keeping children safe.

"Cultural variations and traditions mean that message is sometimes hard to get across which is the reason why we have started this campaign."

As part of the attempt to reach BME groups, the NSPCC has launched a CD Rom, Keeping Our Children Safe.

It includes information on how to allow children to reach their full potential, the legal rights for children, the rights and responsibilities for parents, and alternatives to physical punishment.

The pack also contains specific information on issues such as how drug abuse, alcohol abuse, child abuse and gang culture can affect communities, and where to find the right kind of support to deal with the problems.

The charity will also run workshops for BME communities across the country in partnership with police, schools and local authorities, which will highlight the need for child safety.