People in the UK are expected to protest against the treatment of a schoolgirl who was strip-searched whilst on her period after police were led to believe she was in possession of marijuana.
The adolescent known as ‘Child Q’, for legal reasons, was believed by teachers to be in possession of cannabis at a school in Hackney, London. Police were contacted and took the girl out of an exam where she was subjected to a strip-search despite telling officers that she was menstruating and no other adults being present for the examination.
The 15-year-old was made to spread her legs and buttocks while coughing by two female police officers. A Children’s Safeguarding report by the Hackney city has said that racial discrimination likely played a factor in the treatment as the girl was black.
Protests have been planned with a “Solidarity March for Child Q” expected to happen this coming Sunday at the Stoke Newington Police Station. Hackney Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Children’s Services Councillor Anntoinette Bramble said that the act was appalling by metro police.
“Child Q was subjected to humiliating, traumatising and utterly shocking treatment by police officers – actions that were wholly disproportionate to the alleged incident to which they had been called,” she said.
“But most stark: that racism is likely to have been an ‘influencing factor’ in the decision by police to undertake the strip search … The report concluded that racism was likely an ‘influencing factor’ in the strip search, and the girl – a Black child – was subjected to ‘adultification’ bias – where Black and global majority children are held to adult standards, but their white peers are less likely to be.”
Child Q recently said in a statement that, “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,” she said.
“I can’t go a single day without wanting to scream, shout, cry or just give up,
“I don’t know if I’m going to feel normal again,
“But I do know this can’t happen to anyone else, ever again.”
At this present time, the officers responsible for the strip-search are under investigation over misconduct that occurred in 2020.
