Racism against children affects development and harms physical and mental health

Racism experienced in childhood, such as last Saturday’s episode (30) with the children of Giovanna Ewbank and Bruno Gagliasso, can affect children’s development and cause consequences in adulthood, experts point out.

Research compiled by the Center for Child Development at Harvard University (USA) shows that the activation of stress response systems for long periods can affect children’s brain development, with effects on learning, behavior and physical and mental health.

“We have three levels of stress: the one related to survival, of running away from a threat; the stress caused by something transient, such as severe pain; and the toxic stress, which is that constant, for a long time”, details the doctor José Luiz Egydio Setúbal.

Racism causes exactly this toxic stress, when the brain keeps the response mechanism activated for a long time, generating constant tension.

“The child gets a load of adrenaline and cortisol [ao sofrer uma violência] which, if intense or prolonged, causes structural problems. The brain begins to transmit fewer impulses, as if its connections were atrophying, leading to cognitive, social and physical impairment”, warns doctor Ana Márcia Guimarães, member of the Scientific Department of Development and Behavior of the SBP (Brazilian Society of Pediatrics) .

The doctor adds that toxic stress can also impair the process of neuronal pruning in early adolescence, when the brain loses part of its connections, and lead to problems such as anxiety and depression. “Children exposed to chronic stress are more prone to obesity, the development of cardiovascular disease and cancer,” she says.

According to the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics), the biological process triggered by chronic stress leads to inflammatory reactions that predispose individuals to chronic disease.

In addition, research gathered by the entity in a document issued in 2019 shows that abusive events destroy the victim’s self-esteem and can lead to the internalization of criticism, undermining self-perception and reducing academic and professional performance.

“The big difference [do racismo], what makes it so cruel, is the fact that it is felt in early childhood. Between eight months and three years of age, children begin to notice physical differences. They can identify that the colors, features, shape of bodies and hair are different, but that’s not all. They begin to realize that there is a hierarchy between the differences and that their traits and characteristics are inferior”, says Maíra Souza, an Early Childhood officer at UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund).

For her, being the target or witnessing cases of racism causes a series of effects on children. “It means perceiving oneself as a black person in a society where this is negative, which impacts self-confidence, the way children interact in games and even their imagination”, says Souza.

In this society where being black or indigenous is negative, children try to adapt to an ideal that is unattainable, analyzes Professor Paula Gonzaga, from the Department of Psychology at UFMG (Federal University of Minas Gerais). “All the time it is imposed that black children should be white to be treated as children because they are not respected in their childhood, in their development possibilities. This impossibility of existing with respect and dignity in our own skins causes discomfort and is very It is important to remember that this is not a natural malaise of the individual, but a process of illness produced in our society, in the invalidations of certain subjects”, he highlights.

Rebeca Oliveira Duarte, professor of education on ethnic-racial relations at UFRPE (Federal Rural University of Pernambuco), recommends that parents and teachers establish a coexistence pact with children that makes clear what should not be done and offers support so that they know that they are not alone. “The racist attack is very destructive. It’s no use just telling the person to ‘let it go’. There’s no way to just ‘let it go’. The child needs to know that this support is in the father and mother, in the teaching staff and in the direction. The school needs to communicate the adults and the adults must decide”.

If nothing is done and the violence continues, the teacher says that the case should be reported to the Public Ministry and the education council,

Guimarães points out that pediatricians also need to be able to identify racism early and lists some of the signs that a child can be a victim of violence: speech delay, isolation, irritability, developmental regression, in addition to problems with sleep, food, gain of weight and height. Parents can pay attention to these signs and difficulties and delays in school, says the doctor.

Validating the reports of children and their parents is also essential, reminds Professor Gonzaga. “The reproduction of violence builds an idea that there is nothing to be done and that is violence again. When children and parents go to denounce the occurrences and hear “it’s not quite that”, an idea is built that the complaint is not legitimate and that person’s voice is violated by the silencing of their reading of what happened”.

Actions to combat racism in early childhood

• Understand how to take ownership of the theme and perceive part of the problem and the solution
• Knowing the existing reporting channels and knowing how to position yourself, not silence yourself
• Talking to children about diversity, praising differences
• Prevent children and students from reproducing racist speeches and attitudes
• Promote shelter and offer stimulation to all children
• Demand that schools have spaces and promote games that reinforce the history and ancestry of all children

Source: Maíra Souza, UNICEF Early Childhood Officer