Allyship workshops on inciting sexism and misogynist behavior are being offered to secondary schools in London.
It’s part of a £1million campaign by the Mayor’s Office to empower teenagers, prevent violence against women and girls and build healthy relationships.
Staff from Tender – an anti-abuse arts and education charity – will conduct the workshops.
The charity said schools are the perfect place to make change.
Executive Director, Susie McDonald, said: “Schools create the perfect environment for young people to learn about these subjects in a safe, non-judgmental and age-appropriate way.
“But it’s important for teachers to feel confident and equipped with the right knowledge and skills to deliver this type of education.”
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The debate over a culture of sexual abuse in schools escalated last year after a website called Everyone’s Invited was launched where victims could anonymously post their experiences. It received more than 11,000 submissions, some from children as young as nine.
NSPCC figures show that one-third of all child sexual abuse experiences are perpetrated by other children, with the majority of abuses committed by teenage boys on teenage girls.
Ms McDonald said she was looking forward to “inviting everyone to the conversation about why gender-based violence is happening and including boys and men in that conversation”.
“The overwhelming majority of people who perpetrate violence are boys and men, and victims of violence in these types of issues are women and girls.
“Until we get over that hurdle and that fact and have conversations about how to address it and how to stop it, we’re doing a real disservice to boys and men because we’re watering down the idea of what gender-based violence actually is.”
She said the workshops were about building the confidence and language to enable boys to name problematic behavior.
As part of the campaign, teachers will be offered a toolkit that is available online. It includes lesson plans and ideas for exercises.
A program for elementary schools will come out later.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was committed to “doing more to prevent and end the violence and misogyny that too many women face on a daily basis”.
“It’s about changing attitudes at the source so that when they grow into men they don’t behave in misogynistic ways,” he told BBC Radio London’s Eddie Nestor.
“I went to an all-boys school and I was never taught anything about healthy relationships,” he added.
“I hope my behavior has been 100%, but I’m not sure I’ve always done my best.
“We must hold men and boys accountable for changing the way they see, treat and talk about women if we are to truly solve the problem of violence against women and girls and build a safer, fairer London for all . ” he added.
“It’s very important to us to show allies on the issue of violence against women and girls.”
dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said she welcomes the toolkit as it highlights the prevention of sexual harassment and violence against women as a key professional concern for its members.
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