Discrimination is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people. Discrimination can take many forms, such as direct discrimination, where you are treated less favourably than someone else as a direct result of anything from gender and sexual orientation, to religious or political beliefs. Other forms include indirect discrimination, when a rule or condition works against a specific group of people, and harassment and victimisation, including intimidating or offensive behaviour, or making someone victim of fewer opportunities.

How can we stop discrimination?

Start with yourself
It’s important to remember not everyone is raised in the same way and that we are all a product of our backgrounds; be open to learning more about other peoples points of view and the motivations and thought processes behind why they are the way they are.

Practice inclusivity
Challenge yourself when it comes to practicing inclusion in your everyday life. Is there room for every voice at your staff meeting?  Has every child been invited to the party? Have you asked an elder what they have to say? Is there someone whose opinion is never touched upon? It is important to celebrate, not only, where there is common ground, but also where there is difference.

Speak up against discrimination
Don’t ignore discriminatory behaviour in others, even if you are close to them. Speaking up against discrimination when you see or experience it will help raise awareness and challenge others’ views.

Support others
Support others who are experiencing discrimination and encourage them to take the appropriate action needed to improve their situation; this could be anything from taking records of discrimination, pushing forward with workplace procedures or seeking advice where necessary.

If you feel you are being discriminated against on placement, at work, or in College; please contact us. The College has a zero tolerance policy towards all discriminatory behaviour, whether intentional or unintentional. Incidents of discriminatory behaviour are a serious matter and will be dealt with appropriately.

This month’s prize competition topic is Zero Discrimination Day – enter and be in with a chance to win a £20 amazon voucher!

Zero Discrimination Day, celebrated on 1 March, is an annual worldwide event that promotes diversity and recognises that everyone counts. The day is actively promoted to celebrate everyone’s right to live a full life with dignity regardless of age, gender, sexuality, nationality, ethnicity, skin colour, height, weight, profession, education and beliefs.

In order to be in with a chance of winning a £20 amazon voucher, you simply need to submit an effort you have made to engage with and/or raise awareness of the topic Zero Discrimination Day to marketing@caw.ac.uk by Friday 24 March 2017.

What you choose to submit is open to your interpretation, meaning you can enter anything you feel is relevant. This could be anything from artwork and videos, to personal stories, blogs, fundraising efforts or poems. If you’re struggling to think of ideas, you could send us…

• Artwork – Art has the power to create positive social change. Perhaps there is a particular societal problem involving discrimination that you care about. Why not create a poster or leaflet to highlight this?
• Personal stories – Is discrimination a part of your daily life? Do you have a story about a time when you were discriminated against? Sharing a personal story is an excellent way to break down stigma and open up discussion about a subject that is important to you.
• Blogs – Blogging is one of the most accessible ways to share your ideas with others, and there are endless possibilities when it comes to what you can write about. You could write about any form of discrimination, whether that is on the basis of religion, sexuality, gender, age, or profession.

These are just a few ideas. Remember – we will consider whatever you choose to submit, provided it fits the theme!

Good luck!

This competition is open to all students and staff at The College of Animal Welfare. Entries should be sent to marketing@caw.ac.uk, or handed in to College, by Friday 24 March 2017.

Congratulations to Claire Hobson RVN Cert Hydro, Veterinary Nursing Lecturer at our Leeds centre, for winning our February Equality & Diversity competition. During February , the College invited students and staff to submit entries around the theme LGBT History Month; to which Claire submitted an excellent display board raising awareness of LGBT terminology.

This month’s competition theme is ‘Zero Discrimination Day’. To be in with a chance of winning a £20 amazon voucher, you simply need to submit an effort you have made to engage with, or raise awareness of, the topic to marketing@caw.ac.uk (or hand in to a College centre) by Friday 24 March 2017. Ideas for entries include poems, videos, artwork, personal stories etc. and all students and staff of The College of Animal Welfare are welcome to enter. Good luck!

Many countries are making progress when it comes to LGBT rights. For example since 1990, 40 countries have decriminalised homosexuality, over 30 have outlawed homophobic hate crimes; and as of 2015, over 60 countries legally protect a LGBT people at work.* However, many people around the world still struggle with violence and inequality on a daily basis, simply because of who they choose to love or who they are. Issues range from unjust laws, censorship, medical abuse, domestic violence and other human rights abuses.

Despite projections for the global LGBT population being as high as 10%* in some studies, 73 countries* across the globe hold criminal laws against sexual activity by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex people; in 10 of these countries* being gay or bisexual can be punishable by death. In the UK alone, forces recorded 5,597 hate crimes against LGBT people in 2014-15, a rise of 22 percent.* According to reports cited by Stonewall, other worrying statistics include:

• One in five lesbian, gay, and bi employees have experienced verbal bullying from colleagues, customers or service users because of their sexual orientation in the last five years.
• Nearly half of transgender people under 26 said they had attempted suicide, while 59 percent said they had at least considered doing so.
• 59 percent of transgender youth said they had deliberately hurt themselves, compared with 8.9 percent of all 16-24 year olds.
• More than half of lesbian, gay and bisexual students have experienced direct bullying
• Between 2008 and 2014, 1,612 transgender people were murdered across 62 countries, which is equivalent to a killing every two days.

How you can help

Below are sources of further information on the fight for LGBT rights across the globe, including details about how you can get involved.

Human Rights Watch – News, analysis and resources from a human rights perspective, including LGBT rights.
Stonewall – Group campaigning for the equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people across the UK.
LGBT Foundation – Offers information for LGBT people on sexual health, well-being, groups and events.

E&D Competition of the Month: LGBT History Month

Remember that LGBT History Month is this month’s prize competition topic. To be in with a chance of winning a £20 amazon voucher, simply submit an effort you have made to engage with this topic to College. This competition is open to all CAW students and staff, submissions should be sent to marketing@caw.ac.uk, or handed in at your centre, by Friday 24 February 2017.

Safer Internet Day is about promoting internet safety; safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology. The day offers the opportunity to highlight positive uses of technology and to explore the role we all play in helping to create a better and safer online community. Below is a short guide to staying safe online.

Easy-to-forget internet safety tips

In an increasingly digital age, people share more than they ever have. It can be easy to forget simple actions you can take to protect your identity and stay safer online, such as…

Thinking before clicking – Common sense can help us to avoid viruses and spam email; for instance by being wary of emails from strangers with attachments or links.

Knowing the scams – Educate yourself about different kinds of scams, so you know the steps you need to take to avoid them, and can pass on this knowledge to your friends and family.

Checking website security – Do not provide financial or personal information to websites that are not secure. The easiest way to find this out is to look for the padlock symbol before the web address.

Creating strong passwords – Strong passwords that are difficult to guess can help us avoid being hacked and reduce the chances of identity theft. Ideally your password will include a mix of capital letters, numbers and symbols; and will be changed regularly.

Logging out – Always log out of any online account once you have finished using it, especially if you are using a public computer such as in a library or internet café. This will prevent other people from posting or sharing content from your account.

Do you know who you are communicating with?

The internet is great way to connect with people who share common interests, hobbies or experiences, but not everyone who you’re communicating with online has good intentions. Some people may be dishonest about who they are, and it’s important to make sure you’re confident that you’re speaking to who you think you are, especially if you’re thinking of meeting them face-to-face.

Toxic websites and online communities

Sometimes you might feel that the people you’re friends with online understand you better than those you know in real life, especially if they are struggling with the same problems that you are.

Whilst those trying to help you online are more than likely well-intentioned, if you’re struggling to cope with serious problems at home, school, work, within a relationship, or with your mental or physical health; the best thing you can do is seek help face-to-face from someone you trust. Particularly when it comes to health, the line between those who are helping you and those who are bringing you down can become blurred. Examples of toxic websites can include websites that glorify serious mental health problems such as anorexia or depression; or forums that encourage the dangerous behaviour that sometimes comes attached with these illnesses, including self-harm and suicidal tendencies.

If you’re seeking help or guidance online, remember to look for reputable websites that offer information from qualified professionals.

Understanding your digital footprint

Have you ever searched for yourself on a search engine to see what comes up? Doing so can be a good indication of the nature of your digital footprint. Your ‘digital footprint’ is everything somebody can find out about you online from the websites you visit, using the ‘trails’ you leave behind on those websites; such as comments, posts, shares, reviews, images, videos – and much more. It is important to think about what you’re posting online, not only, on social media, but in all online spaces; and whether what you’re posting could create problems for you in the future. Every time you share or post something online, you are contributing to your digital footprint. Some things to think about include:

Privacy – You don’t want to be in a situation where strangers can find out where you live, work or go to school with a simple google search, so make sure you’re being careful about what personal information you are sharing online. You should also avoid posting photos or videos that reveal information about your location.

Anticipating online response – Whilst you have a lot of control over what you post online, you have no control over how others will respond to it. Things you post online, once public, can be copied, saved or shared by other people; after which it becomes harder to delete and forget about. For example, an angry comment you make about a teacher, colleague or boss could be seen by an employer and prevent you from getting a job. A good rule to follow is you shouldn’t post anything you wouldn’t be comfortable with your grandma looking at.

Posting within the law – Sometimes what you post can get you in trouble with the law, even if you meant no harm by what you shared. Sharing sexually explicit content involving someone under the age 18 without their permission is illegal*, for instance, even if the person in question is a friend.

I don’t want people to see that – What can I do?

You may find that you’re unhappy with some of the things you can see or find out about yourself online. An old post that made sense six months ago might seem embarrassing and wrong to you now. Perhaps you didn’t really mean what you said about a friend or colleague online in the heat of the moment. Or maybe you’re uncomfortable with a photo that someone else has posted of you on social media. Whatever the nature of the content might be, there are steps you can take to try and remove it…

I’ve posted this content

The good news is that you have much more control over your own online activity than you do others. Actions you could take include deleting it manually, or editing the content if you’re unable to delete it completely. You could also contact search engines such as Google or Bing to ask them to remove it links to the content on their site.

Someone else has posted this content

If someone else has shared or posted something about you that you would like removed, you could start by asking them if they can delete it. Alternatively, if many people have shared it, it may be worth deleting your account on the relevant website and creating a new one.

Further Information

More Information about staying safe on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram privacy and safety checklists, can be found here.