Engagement with boys and young men ‘crucial’ for tackling sexual harassment, MPs warn

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The government should focus on engaging boys in relationships and sex education lessons at school to help tackle the continuing problem of sexual harassment and violence against pupils, MPs have said.

The Commons Women and Equalities Committee said relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) should be made compulsory in sixth forms and colleges as it warned that young people are making their first steps into the adult world “under-supported” to navigate potentially “dangerous” situations.

Sexual harassment and sexual violence continue to be “a scourge” in schools, with many girls and women “feeling powerless,” a report has found.

The cross-party group of MPs said engagement with boys and young men was “crucial” for tackling sexual harassment and sexual violence in educational settings, but evidence to the committee suggested that RSHE lessons being taught in schools are “less applicable” and engaging for boys.

The report calls on the government to develop a specific strategy for engaging with boys and young men in primary and secondary schools on the topics of sexual harassment and gender-based violence.

It added that all teachers should be trained on how to engage male pupils in conversations that “challenge prevailing gender norms”,  ideas of masculinity, and attitudes towards women and girls.

The committee heard that some schools were not sufficiently promoting gender equality, or acknowledging the problem of violence against girls.

The report called for schools to be given more support as it said that “in too many cases” schools lack the funding and time to deliver RSHE “effectively”.

It comes after thousands of testimonials were posted by young people on the Everyone’s Invited website in 2021 documenting their experiences of sexual harassment and assault in education settings.

For far too long too many people in positions of authority have failed to notice the problem of sexual harassment in schools, of girls and female staff

Caroline Nokes, chairwoman of the committee

A review by Ofsted into safeguarding in schools, published in June 2021, found that sexual harassment had become “normalised” for schoolchildren, and inspectors were told that boys were sharing “nudes” among themselves like a “collection game” on WhatsApp and Snapchat.

Witnesses told the Women and Equalities Committee’s inquiry that boys are “cyber flashing hardcore pornographic images” at girls in the corridor and AirDropping nude images to students in class.

In March, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that the government would bring forward a review into RSHE in schools.

The problem of misogynistic attitudes and behaviour emanate from outside of school and in particular from the wild west of social media and online content

Geoff Barton, Association of School and College Leaders

MPs have called on the government to lay a strategy for engaging with male pupils in RSHE before Parliament by the end of 2023 alongside its review.

Caroline Nokes, chairwoman of the committee, said: “For far too long too many people in positions of authority have failed to notice the problem of sexual harassment in schools, of girls and female staff.

“It has taken the testimonies of students to prompt an official response. It is incumbent on school leaders, inspectors and the government not to let them down.

“Whilst there have been some positive steps since the Everyone’s Invited movement exposed how widespread the problem is, there is clearly more to do to improve safeguarding and education.

“Education is a powerful tool in combating harmful attitudes towards women and girls and preventing violence. It is crucial that mandatory relationships, sex and health education continue past secondary school.

“We also need a specific focus on engaging boys and young men in RSHE and we expect the government to consider this in its ongoing RSHE review.”

Now we need to keep talking about it, understanding it and taking action to eradicate it

Soma Sara, Everyone’s Invited website

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “Sexual harassment and sexual violence is treated as an extremely serious matter in schools and colleges with teaching and pastoral work which focuses on the importance of respect and sanctions which reflect the gravity of this behaviour.

“The problem of misogynistic attitudes and behaviour emanates from outside of school and in particular from the wild west of social media and online content.

“The government’s Online Safety Bill has been in development for years and is still plodding its way through Parliament, and schools and colleges have received very little in the way of support or training for the delivery of relationships and sex education.

“Schools and colleges are striving to uphold good values but they cannot fight this battle alone. They need to be supported in terms of funding, resources and an online regulatory framework that protects young people.”

Soma Sara, the founder of the Everyone’s Invited website, said: “From the beginning, Everyone’s Invited has always embraced the importance of engaging with boys and men in a positive, life-affirming way, recognising how crucial their voices and experiences are.

“We believe that everyone should have strong, empathetic and equal relationships with each other and we believe this can be taught and encouraged in schools.”

We are developing further guidance for schools to support educators in teaching about this issue and engage boys and young men about misogyny and sexual violence in education

Government spokesman

She added: “It was widely thought that sexual harassment happened to a small minority of people but now we are seeing that it is a cultural issue, prevalent everywhere.

“It is like lowering the water to reveal the whole iceberg rather than just talking about the tip of the iceberg. Now we need to keep talking about it, understanding it and taking action to eradicate it.”

A government spokesman said: “All women and girls deserve a safe environment, and we expect schools, colleges and universities to take immediate action against sexual misconduct or harassment.

“We are developing further guidance for schools to support educators in teaching about this issue and engage boys and young men about misogyny and sexual violence in education.

“Through the Online Safety Bill, technology firms will be required to enforce their age limits and protect children from being exposed to harmful material online.”