Impact of Racism

Physical impacts: loss of or damage to property; physical injuries and their effects which may lead to ill physical health and mental health.

Psychological impacts: racism can have a deeply damaging effect on people’s mental health. It humiliates, dehumanizes and goes to the heart of a person’s identity, undermines people’s dignity and forces them to change their usual behaviour and daily routines to avoid ‘marks’ of their identity (for example avoiding certain places or activities, being afraid of leaving house or travelling alone, changing the way they dress and avoiding traditional or religious symbols). It can also lead to other emotional impacts such as distress, PTSD, insomnia, depression, fears, a sense of isolation and lack of trust in people.

Social impacts: Feeling of isolation and low trust in others, including in the victims’ area of residence can have significant consequences not only for the person’s social life but also for a long-term cohesion and integration, particularly so in cases of repeated harassment, institutional racism and housing discrimination.

Financial Impacts: Racism can also have financial impacts, for example those caused by having to move to a new house to avoid being a target, the costs related to repair of damaged property, avoiding public transport or taking longer routes, lost employment or barriers to accessing it, depressed wages, discrimination in access to housing, and the illegal denial of social security.