Pressure is mounting on the government to introduce compulsory sex and relationships education (SRE) in schools after five chairs of parliamentary select committees sent a strongly worded letter to the education secretary Justine Greening demanding a change in policy.
The letter says sexual harassment and sexual violence in schools is having an impact on young people and school life. Consequences include “physical and emotional harm, including teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases; girls feeling unable to participate in educational and extra-curricular opportunities; teachers spending valuable time dealing with incidents of sexual harassment and bullying; and young people developing a sense that sexual harassment and sexual violence are acceptable behaviours and learning social norms that are carried through to adult life.”
We’re interested in finding out from young people of all genders and parents about experiences of sexual harassment in UK schools. Whether it’s online, on social media such as Facebook or Snapchat, sexting or in real life. What happened to you and how did you deal with the situation? We would also like to hear from teachers about what’s happening in classrooms. How well are schools able to deal with the situation? Do you feel enough is being done to tackle the issue, what would you like to see change? If you work in other areas of child protection please share your views too.
Please share your views and experiences in the form below. This is a sensitive topic and you can remain anonymous if you wish, all the information you give us will be confidential.
Though we really want to hear from young people, please only respond if you’re 16 or older.
We will use your some of your experiences in our reporting.
