Teenage boys to learn how to respect women in drive to tackle violence
From The TimesA generation of youths who do not know how to treat women are to be targeted in a drive to tackle violence and abuse in teenage relationships, the Government announced today.
Richard Ford, Home Correspondent
The campaign could also involve children as young as 5 being taught about “gender equality” as part of personal, social and health education that, from 2011, is to be a compulsory part of the national curriculum. Rules are also to be produced for how teachers should tackle “sexist, sexual and transphobic” bullying.
A strategy to tackle violence against women and girls published yesterday highlights the need for “attitudinal” change among teenagers in relationships. The move follows growing concern that some teenage boys are mistreating girls with verbal abuse, physical attacks and attempts to coerce them into having sex.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Reaching teenagers who are embarking on early relationships to challenge their perceptions of what constitutes a healthy relationship is vital to preventing violence against women and girls.”
Research conducted by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and the University of Bristol found that one in three teenage girls in a relationship suffers unwanted sexual acts and a quarter encounter physical violence. Diana Sutton, head of policy at the NSPCC, said that there was a perception that it was acceptable for boys to verbally abuse and hit girlfriends.
The Home Office is to fund a £1.8 million campaign aimed at 13 to 18-year-olds that will challenge verbal and physical abuse and coercion towards girls. As part of the wider strategy, telephone hotlines, one for stalking and harassment and one for sexual violence, will be set up. Trainee teachers will be taught about gender awareness and domestic violence before they qualify for work in the classroom.
But the proposal that children as young as 5 could be taught about “gender equality” was criticised as a distraction for schools. Margaret Morrissey of the Parents Outloud campaign group, said: “The Government should focus on teaching children to read, write and all those things they need to get a career. This political correctness is turning our children into confused mini-adults.”
Margaret adds : It is also an insult to our teachers in Nursery and Early Years who teach everyday through all lessons the very message Government say they want small children to learn, no to bullying and yes to respecting each other teaching this through kindness, as they do. No one can object to Secondary children having increased lessons that makes good sense. Government should be listening today to the the many agencies who support families involved in domestic violence and giving them the funds they are begging for to do the job. Agencies say they have surveys to show how many families are suffering so lets use this information and lets do it now not in two years time. With an election next year will this plan ever happen or is it another headline let us hope not this is to serious to play political games.
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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In response to Ms Morrissey’s comments regarding today’s news that schools in England will include within their PHSE lessons specific teaching regarding domestic violence, I must disagree with her views that this sort of awareness is turning children into ‘confused mini adults’.
We must accept that education at an early age is vital if we are to change the thinking and minds of tomorrow’s adults. Children learn at an early age what is socially acceptable according to their home, family, social environments. There will be children at school right now whose parents are racist, or bullies, or are violent towards each other – we need a concerted effort by schools and the education system to help break down these behaviours and teach children that just because they may see criminal behaviour at home, doesn’t make it acceptable.
I volunteer as a helpline worker on the National Domestic Violence helpline and I listen to first hand hundreds of women who will not leave their violent partner as they feel that splitting up the family will be detrimental to their childrens’ happiness. This despite the fact that there is a proven correlation between violence at home and children with behavioural problems, learning difficulties, depression. If a child now comes home and says ‘Mum, this is not right’, she may be encouraged to make some positive choices in her life. Yes, in an ideal world children would play with toys until they are 14 then they would study for GCSEs, go to University and have fulfilling lives but this is not the ideal world -children need to be educated on socially unacceptable behaviour – for their sakes right now, and for our society to produce a generation of less violent more tolerant people.
Sarah please read the full story I never suggested children play with toy untill they are 14 nor that the suggestions for secondary schools was not a useful one. If you think 4 is a good age to learn about domestic violence and that children who have never and hopefully never will see it and may struggle to understand it, that’s okay but give parents a choice our teachers are already doing a fantastic job. If a child is suffering at 4 the family need to be helped and of course if children see violence at home it is not acceptable and needs support . I am struggling to see your argument so we must agree to differ
I have to take issue with this
“But the proposal that children as young as 5 could be taught about “gender equality” was criticised as a distraction for schools. “This political correctness is turning our children into confused mini-adults.”
Having been involved in helping girls who have been abused even before their teenage years, and far more who have been iltreated by boyfriends in their teenage or adult years, anything which teaches about the reality of what is an is not acceptable behaviour at the age when life-long attitudes begin to form has got to be good.
The fact that groups to help victims of abuse are on the opposite side of the argument to your Margaret frankly puts you to shame and suggests that you have a political agenda rather than the desire to help children
This is my final comment on this but let me assure you Brian if you knew me in anyway you would understand my only interest now and always has been is for the children. I care not which party is is government if it is not best for children and their education I uphold the right to give my opinion, I do it with no shame and no political agenda. I am and I repeat on the proposal side but not for 4/6 year olds for them leave the status quo. I do believe, and I have daily contact with nursery, pre-school and year 1, that they are already taught about gender equality my 4 year knows it is wrong to hit other children and very wrong to hit girls.
Okay that makes sense.
5 year olds!. Surely that is way to early for school to be setting out to specifically address this, instead of teaching as my school already does the general act of respecting each other regardless.
Agree!! But that is expecting common sense from a government. Okay maybe I am being too harsh there and I am sure they try to do what is best… but seeing some of the finer details of this announcement it does make you feel they have lost the plot a little.
Hi ,
I am a Domestic Violence Co-ordinator with a Police Force and we have just started training school staff (including midday supervisors, supporters and the whole spectrum of people in schools that children come in to contact with) in regard to Domestic Abuse. We also go into schools (as a multi agency approach) and talk to children about Domestic Violence and abuse, always age appropriate, always with parents support and always well received.
Every day I deal with family after family where Dom Vio is an issue, children are usually present and the effect on these children is immense no matter what age. If an child grows up believing that this is the ‘norm’ then we have failed them, and a lot of these children do believe this. Last week a 4 year old told me that Mummys boyfriend hit her Mummy as she hadn’t made tea in time. I asked her what should have happened and she answered -MUMMY SHOULD HAVE MADE THE TEA ON TIME !!.
Parents should always have a choice I agree, but within Domestic Violence Children don’t have a choice and teaching them at an early age can prevent the predjudice that I see in teenagers now. I have seen a massive rise in violence in teenage relationships lately and Domestic Violence seems almost acceptable to teenagers at the moment – although they do not recognise it as such.
No one is marching into schools and discussing Domestic Violence with 4 and 5 year olds, we are talking about crime and respect and then taking the topic further as they go through school. Hopefully this may have an impact in years to come, I would like to think so.
Yes you will also teach some children who will not come into contact with any Dom Vio through their lives, however if 1 in 4 women is affected by Dom Vio at some point in their lives and these are the ones that we know about, the stats would suggest that those unaffected are few.As I said I work in a multi agency approach and these are the agencies you refer to as being needed to be funded and better supported by the Government ( very true) but the need to go into schools has been discovered by them through other work that they do.
Social awareness and respect for other people, related or not, should be taught at the earliest opportunity…playgroup would be my choice of starting point! Any positive influence on young children must surely be a good thing especially as so many, clearly,do not benefit from this at home.Making it a normal part of a child’s daily learning experience would make the whole process more gentle….part of everyday life.How sad that we need special classes to teach children that’s it’s not alright to punch Mummy.
Firstly, stop treating kids like adults! We as parents are sick to the back teeth of it… enough is enough! it is disturbing, it is a form of abuse, anyone who does this has a mental issue and one to be very concerned about too.
i.e. What group of people do we all know of who are the only people who treat kids as adults? and for this the consequences could involve a prison sentence or mental health treatment and being put on a register and are ordered to stay away from kids? This may sound offensive or outrageous but so is treating kids like adults.
Kids should be and are taught at school from Nursery & infant age to not bully, to be nice to one another, which the current education system is put over in the most liberal PC way possible, we all are very aware of this, and this action covers all grounds of any abuse towards any one.
The majority of parents have adult common sense attitudes, instilling decent morals of ‘boys are to not hit females’ and where there are signs that this is not so and problems are occurring, then by all means address that issue with that one set of parents or single parent as the case maybe, But do not insult all parents by deeming us all the same.
I also take offense of the brainwashing pic involved where all the youths seem to be White/English? as if to suggest that this issue concerns them only? Whilst I understand that the English community does have problems of this nature no doubt just as any other community does, as no community is perfect, but we have no stats taken on this issue to see if it has the highest amount concerning all ethnic groups, as the English are not recognised as an ethnic group on monitoring forms in their own country!?
Although there does seem to be a suggestion in society that these issues do exist in other ethnic groups and religious groups and so statistics should be taken from all ethnic groups and religious groups even, to see where the problem lay most and then tackle it with a little more focus with whoever it concerns the most and the same with whatever group is showing a growing problem in this area.
Do not put a one size fits all blanket policy into effect with infants and junior aged kids as that is the wrong way to go about tackling this issue.
Hi,
I’ve read these comments with great interest, because when I was 4 and starting school, I briefly moved to a Refuge with my mother and sister, because of domestic abuse between my parents which continued in some ways for many years after that.
I am now in my 40′s and can reflect on this experience.
I don’t think it would have helped me as a young child to have been taught at school about domestic violence, and that it was “wrong” at that age. Children often feel unduly responsible for situations in their families, and to have been told it was “wrong” by teachers etc, I think would have somehow made it even worse, and perhaps made me more secretive about what was happening rather than less.
Personally, I agree that this info is helpful for teenagers, and as a proportion of domestic violence starts when a child is on the way, I think it is vital to give more support and information to new parents.
Addressing domestic violence from young child upwards, seems to me to be less helpful than actively challenging domestic violence at an adult level (since children will learn values from their parents anyhow).
Hello,
I caught little bits of a report by Angela Harrisonon the Today Programme earlier this week, and now have ferreted about on the internet to find out what it is all about. I live near a school, and we and our neighbours have been blighted by excessive noise from the children for the past 10 years. Prior to that, for 28 years, the sounds from the playground were a happy babble of chatter, giggles and chuckles as the children played. The volume did not impact on our enjoyment of our home and garden with our friends and family.
10 years ago football coaches taught about nine boys to roar, bellow, shout, at the tops of their voices. The Head teacher at that time allowed the boys to play football every day, morning and lunchtime, close to the boundary of the playground, the street and neighbouring homes. Each year the little children, the new intake, in the adjoining part of the playground would watch the boys running around making their loud animal noises, and when when the little boys found they were not allowed to join in, they ran around their own part of the playground roaring and yelping. When they charged past a group of little girls, the girls ran away screaming. It seems to me that these five year old boys discovered there is pleasure in chasing girls and making them scream.
For ten years now I have spoken to successive heads, and tried to explain that allowing children to make extreme noise while playing is anti-social. When they are older and behave like that in the streets, neighbourhoods and parks is that the rowdy behavour that would earn them an ASBO?
10 years ago the sound from the playground went from perfectly pleasant and acceptable to noise at 50db peaking at just over 60db in the first couple of years, to a present level that peaks at over 80 db, when groups of children shriek, bellow and roar in concert.
Who should we turn to next? The attitude of the present Head is that the children are just playing! Some of the children have told me they have a right to enjoy themselves, and they enjoy screaming; they are allowed to do what they like when they are outside.
Who is supposed to be teaching these children that their rights do not override the rights of others; that rights go with responsibilities, privileges with duties?
If the school shares responsibility with the parents to educate children to be considerate adults, who will get them to recognise that? Isn’t teaching children responsible behaviour more a matter of consistently insisting on it at all times than delivering instructions in a PSHE lesson?
Yours sincerely, A. Groom
I think Louise has a very good point.
Of course domestic violence is wrong and should be prevented but burdening 5 year olds with this is a mistake.
Either they won’t know what is being talked about, and be confused, or they will know only too well and be even more traumatised than before. Are we to expect them to intervene in domestic disputes or to report what is going on at home to teachers or the police?
We already have parents who smoke subjected to disrespect and lectures from their infants. Forcing children to take responsibility for policing their families destroys those families and leads to huge guilt – whether they do act or not.
Children should be gently taught that all violence is wrong but trying to correct the flaws in our society by brainwashing infants is quite unacceptable.
Violence against women is a growing issue in the U.S. There are excellent organizations working to help young women in need. Vista Maria is a leading crusader to curtail violence against women. They are an excellent resource and can be very helpful for young women dealing with these issues. Men and women both need to be informed.
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