The Sligo Rural Transport Programme and Bus Éireann have joined the Sligo Family Resource Centre in a new drive to support the reporting of racist incidents in the northwest county. Buses in the region are currently displaying a campaign poster that encourages victims and witnesses of racist abuse to break silence and come forward to report such incidents via the Racist Incident Referral and Support Service at racistincidentsrecording.com.
Operating since this summer, the service has recorded 17 racist incidents reported between July and September alone.
Project co-ordinator Deo Ladislas Ndakengerwa says: “I hear different experiences of racism directed at minority ethnic communities including Travellers on regular basis.
“We should not pretend that there is no racism in Co Sligo. Instead we should move from complacency and ‘not my issue’ or ‘it is not too bad’ to standing up for those who are treated differently because of being perceived different.”
Commending the poster campaign and all involved, Sligo Intercultural Forum chair Nike Ogun said that “while acknowledging the importance of reporting racist incidents, it is equally important to ensure that victims and witnesses get justice.”
All racist incidents recorded by the service are put into a database where information and trends generated will be used for further advocacy work and policy and legislative change at county council level.
The project is part of the Sligo Integration Plan 2013-2016 and is being funded by the Peace lll Programme through the European Union’s European Regional Development Fund, managed for the special EU programmes body by Sligo County Council on behalf of Sligo Peace & Reconciliation Partnership Committee.
