What Happened To Child Q: Latest Updates

A report recently released found that a strip search had been conducted on a 15-year-old black girl, known as Child Q; hundreds of protestors have marched through north London over the unjustified act with racism as a “likely” factor. The girl had been wrongfully suspected of carrying drugs and was strip searched, while being on her period, in 2020. Since the incident was revealed publicly, activists and protestors have been chanting “power to black girl Child Q” while carrying banners with the words “protect black kids”.

The young girl’s parents are suing the school and the police force, saying the officers’ actions “should never have happened”. Additionally, the girl spoke through her lawyers and said that she wanted “cast-iron commitments to ensure this never happens again”.

Protestors have marched from Stoke Newington Police Station to Hackney Town Hall with placards saying, “no to racist police” and “hands off our children”, all the while chanting “love for Child Q” and “power to black girl Child Q”.

Jacqueline Courteney, who had helped set up the rally, said, “I set it up because I’m a mother and I had that gut instinct a black child out there had been caused such harm, and that could have been my kids, or nieces and nephews. That’s just not on, and there needs to be a way that we can demand change that is clear and obvious.”

The founder of the charity Sistah Space, which supports black heritage abuse victims, Ngozi Fulani, said she was “disgusted” by the incident. She added, “There’s something in our system that doesn’t see the humanity in black people, much less black children. The police involved should be sacked.”

During the protest, a two-minute silence was held in support of Child Q, who in 2020 was taken out of an exam to the school’s medical room to get strip searched by two female Met police officers. She was on her period, which the officers were aware of, and was searched for cannabis while the teachers remained outside.

According to the schoolgirl’s mother, who spoke to the safeguarding review by City of London and Hackney Safeguarding Children Partnership, her daughter was “asked to go back into the exam” and had no teacher ask about her welfare to check up on her. The girl’s family have noticed that she changed drastically, going from being “top of the class” to “a shell of her former bubbly self”, and she was now self-harming and required therapy.

Child Q: What happened to her and why has it sparked protests?

At the young age of just 12, the schoolgirl had to face racism and injustice to such extent that it can harm their mental health. Not only that, but the fact that she was a young girl who was also on her period did not seem to stop or doubt the police officers, instead, they strip searched her and violated the young and innocent child. Many protestors have argued that, were this a young white girl, such an act would have never taken place.