Prince of Wales talks to children during a visit to Haggerston Girls School in Hackney, east London, 2003. Empics entertainment/ Press Association. All rights reserved.International terrorism along religious lines poses questions about the integration of minority groups in the developed world. Indeed, some of the attacks are carried out by home grown terrorists. Most recently, two suicide bombers in the Brussels airport attack were Belgian citizens. This article suggests that one way of decreasing the possibility of homegrown terrorism is by facilitating a better integration of minorities. I believe this could be achieved by public services. In the United Kingdom, children’s centres provide an excellent example.
Let me explain how. The scholarship on ethnic relations and prejudice has long verified the positive effects of contact among majority and minority groups. Expanding on Allport’s (1958) classical study, The Nature of Prejudice, they show that contact between the members of majority and minority groups decrease the level of prejudice and hostility between groups. Allport underlines that the effective contact is an equal status interaction sanctioned by social institutions, such as by law or norms. It facilitates a realisation of common interests and humanity between the members of different groups. Studies from various developed countries inform policymakers to focus on intergroup contact stimulating measures.
Children’s centres in the United Kingdom are a perfect institution to stimulate contact between different groups and therefore help the integration of minorities. For unfamiliar readers, children’s centres provide a free service for children under five and their families, including support from various professionals and play activities.
