We believe racial harassment is never ok.
Harassment is contrary to the MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy, including on the basis of race.
Racial harassment is an incident, or a series of incidents intended or likely to intimidate, offend or harm an individual or group because of their ethnic origin, colour, race, religion or nationality. A racist incident is any incident that is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person (MacPherson Report 1999).
Harassment is unlawful whether it is on grounds of your actual or perceived race, ethnic, or national origins (harassment by perception), or the race or ethnic or national origins of the people you associate with (harassment by association). An individual’s mistaken perception of someone’s race or ethnic or national origins does not detract from the otherwise unlawfulness of their behaviour.
Such behaviour may include:
- Derogatory name-calling.
- Verbal threats, insults and racist “jokes”.
- Display of racially offensive material.
- Exclusion from normal workplace conversation or activities.
- Physical attack.
- Racist microaggressions*
- Encouraging others to commit any such acts.
* Microaggressions are commonplace behaviours that signal, intentionally or unintentionally, to someone from an under-represented group and/or a group perceived to have less power, that they do not belong, or that they're not welcome.
A person may be harassed even if they were not the intended "target". For example, a person may be harassed by racist jokes about a different ethnic group if they create an offensive environment.