Asian women in the West Midlands are experiencing a type of fear we’ve never seen before. The fear of being raped by a racist.
It’s after two women were raped in separate incidents - the police are calling them racially aggravated rapes.
A woman’s dignity lost FOREVER by scum just because of the colour of her skin. It sounds like something from the colonial times. Yet, this is the reality of Britain in 2025.
When I heard about the Oldbury rape in broad daylight on 9th September, I was shaken. It’s not far from where my uncle lives and I had frequently been there alone. I thought of my aunt who regularly went for walks. I found myself ringing her telling her not to go out alone.
And when news broke of the Walsall rape on 25th October, whispers in the community and on social media led to details being shared that not even the police had disclosed.
I have spoken to many women who say this incident has left them not only afraid of going out but even their home - which should be their safe space - doesn’t feel safe anymore.
A man has been arrested and charged in the latter case.
Wolverhampton has seen violent racist attacks as well – in August, two taxi drivers were beaten in an unprovoked attack and in October a woman in her 50s was attacked by a group of men.
In all four of the cases mentioned the victims have been Sikh. And the second common factor is a racist element to these crimes.
As a Sikh woman born and raised in the West Midlands, I’ve found myself more aware of my surroundings; planning where I’m going, how I’m getting there and at what time. I’ve never been conscious of darkness or navigating empty streets because I’ve always felt secure near home or near work.
Yet, the other day I was at a train station in the evening. Uber was taking more than 15 minutes to connect to a driver. So, I briefly considered getting a black cab, which are always available outside the station.
But then I thought – most black cab drivers are white men, so I would probably be safer in an Uber which tend to be driven by Black or Asian men.
It was a terrible thought, but I couldn’t help feeling that way. I’ve never had a bad experience with a taxi driver, no matter what their race or ethnicity but now I wouldn’t want to consider the chance of that happening.
When you’re making changes to your day-to-day life over worry that you could be hurt in some way…that is very real fear. You wouldn’t expect this in a first world country. But here we are.
Since the flags have been going up in the summer there’s been a tense feeling in Asian communities. A flag that belongs to us all is being hijacked to intimidate minorities. But where are these patriots when it comes to the England women’s football or cricket teams causing waves of success globally?
Where are these patriots at times of Remembrance when we commemorate the fallen – do they even know their own history? Are they aware that 2.5 million soldiers from pre-partition India fought for Britain in World War Two – the largest volunteer army in history.
The battle frontlines looked more multicultural than films or books will lead you to believe because Britain relied on its Commonwealth colonies to win the war. Not only did South Asian, African and Caribbean men and women help defend Britain in two world wars, but they also helped rebuild Britain after the wars. Britain came calling for help from the Commonwealth – that’s why we saw waves of migration in the 1950s and 1960s.
Do these patriotic flag-bearers realise any of this? Clearly not, otherwise they would also know the St George whose flag they fly proudly was not white or English – he was Turkish-Palestinian.
The irony is laughable.
Sadly, I feel like the authorities who are there to protect us can only do so much. They may increase police presence on the streets or give tougher punishments to racists. But the mindset can only change with dialogue and education.
I have always believed that racism is present in all communities – regardless of your ethnicity or faith. The notion of ‘the other’ will remain until we realise we all have more similarities than differences, and we are all vital for the prosperity of Britain.
(The author is a journalist)
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