Crimes against children with a racial, religious or faith-based element are steadily increasing, newly released figures show.

According to recent police figures obtained by the NSPCC under the Freedom of Information Act, 5,349 hate crimes were recorded against under-18s with a racial, religious or faith-based element last year, a 14 per cent increase on the previous year.

The NCPCC's 24-hour Childline has delivered almost 2,700 counselling sessions about race and faith based bullying in the last 3 years, the children's charity revealed.

Now, Childline has launched a campaign called Understand Me to encourage young people to speak out against discrimination.

The NSPCC said that spikes in Childline counselling sessions about racial and faith based bullying have sometimes followed terror attacks, with the number rising by over a third following the Westminster attack in March 2017.

Following the Westminster bridge attack on 22 March 2017 Childline delivered 128 counselling sessions about race or faith based bullying in April that year, a 36 per cent increase compared to 94 counselling sessions in March.

And after the Brussels attack on March 22, 2016, Childline delivered 99 counselling sessions on racial and faith based bullying in the same month, a rise of almost 50 per cent from February 2016, when it held 67 sessions.

One Muslim teenager told the charity: 'I seem to be getting racist comments wherever I go. People call me a terrorist and keep telling me to go back to where I came from. I dress in traditional Muslim clothes and I think it singles me out.

'I usually just put my head down and get on with it but it's getting to the point now where I genuinely feel like I might get attacked.'

The NSPCC chief executive Peter Wanless said: 'It's heartbreaking to think that some children are targeted by bullies because of their race, culture or nationality.

'Racist jokes and negative stereotyping can be hurtful and leave young people feeling isolated and ashamed of who they are or where they are from.

'Our Understand Me campaign aims to reach out to all children who are experiencing racial or faith based bullying and make sure they know that they are not alone.

'No child should suffer in silence and anyone being targeted must be supported to tell someone and ask for help.'

Dame Esther Rantzen, the president of Childline, said: 'Bullying of any kind is vile, but targeting someone because of the colour of their skin, religious beliefs or their accent is simply unacceptable.

'Children are taking on board prejudices around race and religion in society and trading them as playground insults, with extremely harmful results.

'Young people should be encouraged to be proud of who they are.Racial bullying can be hard to cope with but young people need to know they don't have to carry this burden alone.

'Childline is here for all young people and talking to someone might help them find a way to deal with the situation.'

Any child worried about bullying can call Childline on 0800 11 11. Any adult who is concerned about a child can call the NSPCC Helpline on 0800 800 5000.