6-Year-Old Indian-Origin Girl Latest Victim Of Racist Attack In Ireland

A six-year-old Indian-origin girl is the latest victim of racist attacks in Ireland. Nia Naveen, whose family hails from Kottayam in Kerala, was playing outside her house in Waterford City in southeast Ireland when a gang of children aged 12 to 14 attacked her, calling her "dirty" and asking her to "go back to India."

Ms Naveen's mother, Anupa Achuthan, told the Irish Mirror that the gang punched her daughter in the face, hit her private parts with a bicycle, punched her on the neck and twisted her hair.

Ms Achuthan, a nurse, has lived in Ireland for eight years with her husband and recently got Irish citizenship. Her children were born in the country. The family moved into the house in January, and everything was going well until Monday's incident.

"It was around 7.30 pm and she was playing inside the house. She wanted to play outside and go cycling. I let her outside for a few seconds. My husband was at work on night duty. He was off to work, and I was alone with my 10-month-old and my six-year-old. She went out with her friends. I was supervising them just in front of the house. They were playing together and I knew they were safe," the mother said, recalling the event.

Ms Achuthan said she went inside the house for a few minutes to feed her crying son, but her Irish-born little girl soon followed her in after around a minute-- upset. 

"She started crying. She couldn't even talk, she was so scared. I had never seen my daughter like that. I just asked her friends what happened, and they were all so upset, they couldn't talk. One of her friends said a gang of boys older than them hit her on the private parts with a cycle, and five of them punched her on her face," the mother said. 

"She told me five of them punched her in the face. One of the boys pushed the bicycle wheel onto her private parts, and it was really sore. They said the F word and "Dirty Indian, go back to India. She told me today they punched her neck and pulled her hair," she added. 

Ms Achuthan soon went out, and she saw the gang of children involved in the incident afterwards. She said they stared her down.

 "I saw the gang after. They were staring at me. They know I am her parent. They were roaming around here. The boys were maybe 12 or 14. They were staring at me and laughing."

Despite going to the gardai (Irish police) over the incident, the distraught mother does not want the children to be punished, but given counselling instead. She said, "I believe this estate belongs to them as well. I do not want them punished, I would like them to get counselling. They have to be aware of this. I accept that they are kids, but they have to know how to treat other kids well."

She recalled that when the family moved into the new house, her daughter was so happy as she got new friends and had places to play.

"Now I am really upset because she told me last night she was crying in bed and is really upset to play outside. I do not feel safe here, even in front of our own house, we believe she can't play safely...I feel so sad for her. I could not protect her. I never expected that such an incident would happen. I thought she would be safe here," she said. 

Ms Achuthan said she's a proud Indian, but she was happy to be an Irish citizen. "This is my second country. I am so happy to be an Irish citizen, but now I feel that I don't belong here."

"I am a nurse, I am doing my best to take care of people. I do my work and I am 100 per cent professional. I changed my citizenship, but still we are called dirty people and even my kids are not safe. I don't know how the government will be addressing this. We came here to fill a labour gap. We are professionals - we have all the certificates...I believe this is my country, also. I belong here," she added, urging the government to protect her. 

This was not the first racist attack on a person of Indian origin in Ireland. The county is still reeling from recent attacks in Dublin's  Tallaght and Clondalkin areas.

In view of increasing racial attacks, the Indian Embassy in Dublin issued a statement warning Indian citizens to be careful in the country.

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