Six-Year-Old Indian-Origin Girl Targeted in Racist Attack by Teenagers in Ireland

Six-Year-Old Indian-Origin Girl Targeted in Racist Attack by Teenagers in Ireland
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In a deeply disturbing incident, a six-year-old Indian-origin girl was subjected to a brutal racist attack in Waterford City, southeast Ireland. The young girl, Nia Naveen, whose family hails from Kottayam, Kerala, was physically assaulted and racially abused by a gang of teenagers while playing outside her home.

According to reports, a group of children aged between 12 and 14 approached Nia on Monday evening, hurled racial slurs at her, calling her "dirty" and telling her to "go back to India" before physically assaulting her. The attackers reportedly punched her in the face, struck her in the private parts with a bicycle, hit her neck, and pulled her hair.

Her mother, Anupa Achuthan, a nurse by profession, told the Irish Mirror that the incident occurred just outside their home while she was briefly inside feeding her 10-month-old baby. “It was around 7:30 pm. Nia was playing outside with her friends. I was supervising from the front of the house. Everything seemed fine until I had to go in for a minute. When she came back in shortly after, she was in tears, shaken and bruised,” Ms Achuthan recalled.

The family, who have been living in Ireland for eight years and recently acquired Irish citizenship, moved into their current residence in January. Until the attack, they had not experienced any issues in the neighborhood.

Ms Achuthan expressed shock and heartbreak over the assault, highlighting that her children were born in Ireland and had never faced such hostility before. She has called for accountability and protection for migrant families facing rising instances of racism in the country.

Authorities are reportedly investigating the incident, and local community leaders have condemned the attack. The incident has sparked outrage among the Indian diaspora and human rights advocates, raising renewed concerns about the safety of immigrant children in Ireland.

(This story is published from a syndicated feed)

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