A new report claims Black girls in the UK are three times more likely to endure invasive strip searches by the Met police compared to other races. Read to know more.
Black girls 3x more likely victims of strip searches
As per a new report by Liberty Investigates, Black Girls in the UK are prone to endure strip searches more than any other race. About 110 female teenagers and children endured invasive strip searches exposing their private parts between 2017 and 2022. Among them, 47 percent were black girls. The study was based on data collected by the campaign group that works on exposing hidden human rights abuses revealed from the freedom of information request.
Liberty Investigates claims the real figures may be higher than those shared by the Metropolitan Police. The report follows similar findings by Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s commissioner. She stated Black children were 11 times more likely to get strip searches than white kids.
More on the new report
The new report also distinguishes between less invasive and more invasive forms. “Black female children are 2.7 times more likely than their white counterparts to be subjected by the Met Police to the most invasive form of strip-search, new figures suggest,” reveals the report. “According to data obtained via Freedom of Information requests and analyzed by Liberty Investigates. 110 female children and teenagers were strip-searched from 2017 to 2022 with intimate parts exposed. Fifty-two of them, or 47 percent, were Black. While London’s population of Black females up to 19 years old stands at 17.5 percent,” it added.
“We welcome the report by Dame Rachel de Souza, children’s commissioner, and were pleased to have played a part in her research. Hence, we fully acknowledge that we have overused this type of search,” stated a Met spokesperson. “We have been making significant efforts to ensure the use of this tactic is appropriate in all circumstances. And that our approach puts the child at the heart of decision-making, with safeguarding that child as the absolute priority. This has also resulted in a considerable reduction in the number of searches being carried out,” they added.