‘Frightened family trapped on estate suffer racism and abuse’
A mum says she and her children have suffered countless incidents of racism and abuse since moving to a housing estate in north Wales. Harri Evans and Joshua Knapman report
AFAMILY say they have experienced racism and abuse over the last three years after moving to a Welsh housing estate.
Mhean Frades, 32, and her children previously lived in a flat in Pendalar, before moving to Cae’r Saint in Caernarfon. Ms Frades says her family has had to endure countless incidents of abuse since moving.
Originally from the Philippines, Ms Frades says she no longer feels safe living on the estate and believes that she and her family have been targeted by an unidentified group of people.
According to North Wales Live, the most recent incident came earlier this month when heaps of rubbish and soil were dumped outside her house.
She says that took place overnight, and after a neighbour spotted it, she called the police.
Ms Frades was advised to install CCTV on her house, which astounded the mum of three.
“I keep on calling the authorities when something like this happens, but they are never able to help,” she said.
“After the rubbish was dumped outside my house, the police told me that I should get my own CCTV, like this would be something I could afford.
“It makes me want to give up.” The rubbish left outside her house is the latest in a series of incidents she says she’s had to endure since moving to Cae’r Saint, including bullying directed at her children.
Ms Frades says she sent her elder son to Ysgol Syr Hugh Owen, but he had to be taken out and moved to another school after “repeated incidents of bullying”.
“He only lasted there a month,” she said.
“I’d bought the uniforms and all the school supplies, but he was bullied so much by some of the other kids because of his race.
“They would shout racist insults at him. He was also physically assaulted a few times.”
The experience has left Ms Frades at a loss over where she should send her daughter.
She said: “My daughter will be going to secondary school next year and I am terrified of what could happen.
“I don’t want to send her to the same school. I don’t know what to do.”
She says the police have been involved on several occasions but have been unable to act, even after her son was nearly hit by a car outside the secondary school.
Ms Frades says that on a separate occasion her son was set upon by a group of children, who threw him to the ground and kicked him repeatedly until a neighbour ran to the scene.
She also claims that a rock was thrown through the windscreen of her partner’s van and a dead rat was left on her car.
“When I hear the doorbell ring, I have to peek through the window first,” she said.
“My children are scared, particularly when they hear noises outside at night.”
Ms Frades has been unable to move house through her housing association, and says she feels “trapped” in her current situation.
“I have asked the council, the local MP, the police and CCG to help me move out to a safe area, but they just pass me on to all sorts of different departments, asking me to keep reporting the incidents,” she said.
“I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had to call the authorities. I don’t feel safe here any more. I don’t know what else I can do. This is no life for me and my kids.”
A spokesman for Cartrefi Cymunedol Gwynedd said: “We are disappointed to learn that our tenant feels that she is being racially abused.
“Our aim is to support neighbours to resolve any differences they may have, and we encourage tenants to tell us about any problems with neighbours by contacting us.
“Our tenants have the right to ask for a transfer to another home. All requests for transfers must be made through Gwynedd’s housing options team.”
A spokesman for North Wales Police said a hate crime was reported on January 20, 2017, and that they had had a report of “suspicious circumstances” on August 11 this year when rubbish was left outside the house.
The force said: “Officers attended and carried out inquiries. The council was notified and asked to remove the rubbish.”
A spokesman for Gwynedd Council said: “As a council, we consider all forms of bullying as very serious and the education department has, in accordance with government guidelines, a comprehensive anti-bullying policy, which provides guidelines for all Gwynedd schools in dealing with allegations of bullying.
“Clear guidance about how to deal with allegations, which is available to all pupils and parents, includes information about: various forms of bullying (eg physical, verbal, emotional); who to contact if your child is being bullied; and services that offer support to pupils.
“In addition to issuing guidance to schools, Gwynedd head teachers receive training by the council to raise awareness about the latest government guidelines on the issue.
“This includes sessions on respecting others and cyber-bullying, and they also receive guidance on how to ensure compliance with equality issues in their school, including recording incidents of bullying.”