Black Christian Leaders Urge Government to 'Work Closely'

Following the recent Home Affairs Committee report on over-representation in the criminal justice system, black Christian leaders are urging the Government to work more closely with black majority churches to bring about solutions to the "web of disadvantage" encountered by young black people in Britain today.

The report found the primary cause of over-representation is social exclusion and its interrelated issues: educational underachievement and school exclusion, deprivation and poor housing, weaving a "web of disadvantage."

Dr Joe Aldred, Secretary for Minority Christian Affairs for Churches Together in England, said the Black Christian Leaders Forum welcomes the report, particularly because it raises a number of issues that the black Christian community has been concerned about for some time.

"I am sorry to say this rings true with me," he said. "Churches have been working to try to address these issues, and there is every indication that where church has had a deep and real input into young people's lives, they fare far better in society."

He added that the Street Pastors, Black Boys Can and Bringing Hope are three examples of church organisations transforming lives in this way, while there are numerous other local projects operating across the country.

"But we don't have the resources to tackle these deep-rooted problems on our own," he added.

"Given that the black majority church represents such a significant presence in the community, we are calling on the Government to work more closely with us to bring about solutions - both in terms of projects we're already engaged in, and also on an ideological level about root causes and what is best done about these issues."