Speak Out: A reporting system for racist incidents in Nelson
As part of the World Health Organisation's International Safe City initiative, Nelson City Council, Tasman District Council, the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board, NZ Police, community organisations, government agencies and educational institutions have worked collaboratively to establish New Zealand’s first regional reporting system for racist incidents, Speak Out Nelson Tasman, with the motto “There are no strangers here”.
This is important as the Nelson Region has the third highest percentage of migrants in New Zealand, and attracts a large number of international students and overseas visitors.
"Nelson has become increasingly diverse over recent years, with an estimated 48 different ethnicities included in our demographic. We want to ensure that all people, regardless of their ethnicity or cultural heritage, feel welcome and safe in our region," notes the City Council on its website.
It further says that all reports will be treated in strict confidence, and will be used to:
- educate andmake our community safer
- stop it happening again
- teach people that it's not OK
- get help and justice for victims
- collect information about racist incidents to assist the Human Rights Commission and the Police
- fulfil International Best Practice – UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination, (ratified by NZ)
• Racism is when you are treated badly because of how you look, how you speak, and where you come from.
• Anyone can speak out. You can report it if it happened to you, you saw it happen to someone else, or a friend or family member told you what happened to them.
• If you need, you can get counselling, victim support, or someone to talk to.
- source: speakout.org.nz
Visit www.speakout.org.nz to report racist incidents online.
or
phone +64 508 773 256 (0508 SpeakOut)
The information in this story is courtesy Nelson City Council.
