Study: Migrant young people bullied in schools

NEW research has warned of the “potential for conflict” between immigrant and native Irish children as young foreign people in Ireland battle with language barriers.

Migrant children are experiencing racism and bullying and even more aggressive attitudes and actions, according to research by the Trinity Immigration Initiative. Multiple studies from the college also looked at how migrants were coping with work, integration as well as the courts.

Professor Robbie Gilligan, who looked at the experiences of children in seven primary schools in Dublin’s inner city, said he was struck by the enthusiasm of migrant students. He warned, however, of “the potential for conflict” between foreign youngsters and Irish children, particularly because they were not mixing in the same groups and incidents were occurring away from schools.