Gingerism is one of the last socially accepted forms of discrimination, the head of a human rights charity has claimed, as she demands greater protection for redheads.
Bullying people over the colour of their hair was not “harmless banter” but could lead to abuse and suicide, the chief executive of Equalities and Human Rights UK warned.
Chrissy Meleady, who was awarded an MBE in 2000 for her services to children, said that while discrimination against redheads occured worldwide, it was “particulary acute” in the UK.
Last week, it emerged that a teaching assistant in Sheffield was sacked after searching for the term “Gingerphobia” during a lesson on Vikings which caused a red-headed child to become teased by his classmates.
Ms Meleady, who is ginger herself, said she recently had to deal with a case of a child who was abused by his parents after they believed his hair was the “sign of the devil”.
In another case, a family reportedly said they would adopt a child of any race, social background, nationality, sexual orientation, gender or disability but that they “could not abide a red-haired child”.
In an interview with the Sheffield Star, Ms Meleady said: “Bullying red-haired people is one of the last socially accepted forms of prejudice against people for a trait they were born with.
“Whilst it might be seen as a laugh to belittle, demean and abuse these children for being red haired or their phenotypical characteristic, it can be very harmful stripping these children of their positive self-identity and confidence and worse it can lead to school refusal, health problems, self-injurious behaviour and even children wanting and trying to die by suicide.”
In 2007, Prince Harry reportedly told a 14-year-old teenager he was bullied for his red hair with his then army colleagues allegedly giving him the nickname Ginger Bullet Magnet.
One year later a 15-year-old boy hanged himself after being tormented at school over the colour of his hair.
And in 2013, the father of a deceased red-headed schoolgirl demanded discrimination against ginger people to be made a hate crime.
Speaking at the time, Enda Farrell said his 15-year-old daughter Helena took her own life partly to escape the constant abuse she had suffered due to her rare hair colour.
