Sexual Harassment: Improper Behavior Towards Girls in England Schools Report Reveals
I was a teenager in school, I was sent 60 pictures of specific organs on Social Media that I didn't want to see.
"I think you should talk to your mother first. You look like, 'I don't want to see this, I don't know what to do with it, I didn't ask for these pictures. It's not good to receive these pictures.According to a study by Offstead, a school watchdog in England, some girls may be asked to send nude photos to 11 boys a night.
In the Offstead survey, the girls said that if they blocked boys on social media, they would "create more harassment accounts."
The report also found that nine out of 10 girls were called by sexually explicit names or sent nude photos and videos.
The agency warns that sexual harassment among school-age children has become 'commonplace'.
According to Offstead, it seems pointless for students to report such incidents and many teachers do not fully understand the nature of the problem.
The girls surveyed said that when boys asked to send nude photos, they were "not ready to listen."
Women's groups are now calling for the training of school staff and the formation of a government task force to change this culture.
Ministers say schools and colleges will be encouraged to set aside days to train their staff in dealing with sexual harassment issues.
Meanwhile, a BBC study has found that between 2018 and 2020, at least 13,000 sexual offenses against people under the age of 18 have been reported to the police in England.
Thirty different police departments, responding to Freedom of Information requests, revealed that in about 2,000 such cases, both the alleged victim and the accused were 10 years of age or younger.
Of the incidents reported to police, about 1,000 occurred on the school grounds.
This supports Offstead's revelation that inappropriate sexual behavior is now gaining ground in primary schools.
'Don't you think there's something wrong with that?'
Ceres, 21, says most of the girls in her circle have been sent nude photos by boys or men.
Similarly, 18-year-old Lucy said that receiving nude photos has become "so common" that if girls see such messages in their social media inbox, they "simply delete them."
"Some girls like it a lot, but it's something you shake off because you don't think it's unusual, and you can't do anything about it," she says.
"We were told that if we took the matter further, the police would be involved," Ceres said. It was as if we had been gathered to intimidate, not to tell the girls how to deal with them emotionally when they received such pictures.
Amy (pseudonym) told the BBC's Radio 4 Today program that she was raped after a party when she was in sixth grade.
She is now 25 years old and feels that a large part of what happened to her is due to the widespread culture of sexual harassment.
"The hardest thing," she says, was that when he tried to talk to his friends, he heard them say, "If 80 percent was to blame, 20 percent was yours." Are you sure you didn't like it? '
She says many girls told her that her experience had been the same, so she had to tell the school.
He said: 'It was not just a boy and me. Many girls were affected by the actions of many boys.
Amy says she was able to talk to a teacher and she received "extremely positive overall" support.
But he thinks the issue of nude photo exchange has "gotten worse" since he left school.
"Now when I talk to young girls, they say [nude pictures] are expected. That's what it means to be in a relationship or to love, and if you like someone you have to send them pictures, and if you don't send them pictures it means you don't like them. '
Offstead visited 30 public and private schools and two colleges to talk to more than 900 young people about sexual harassment.
Some 64% of girls said they had been touched 'several times' or 'sometimes' without their consent. In addition, eight out of 10 girls said they were pressured to exchange their sex photos.
The children said that sexual violence usually takes place outside the school in places where no one is watching, such as parties or parks.
In many schools, children said that harmful sexual behavior occurs at home parties where adults are not present and that alcohol and drugs are often present.
Many students feel that the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) they receive in schools do not provide them with information and advice on how to deal with the reality of their situation.
The girls in particular were frustrated that there was no education on which attitudes were appropriate and which were inappropriate.
Many teachers said they lacked information about consent, healthy relationships and the exchange of sex images.
Inspectors are now urging schools and colleges to "cultivate a culture" in which all forms of sexual harassment are identified and dealt with.
He also says that outside of the traditional RSHE education, subjects that young people find difficult, including consent and the exchange of nude photos, should be taught.
If you are in the UK and suffer from sexual harassment in educational institutions, you can call 0800136663 from Monday to Friday or 09001800 on Saturday and Sunday. Alternatively, help@nspcc.org.uk can be emailed.
The children said that sexual violence usually takes place outside the school in places where no one is watching, such as parties or parks.
In many schools, children said that harmful sexual behavior occurs at home parties where adults are not present and that alcohol and drugs are often present.
Many students feel that the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) they receive in schools do not provide them with information and advice on how to deal with the reality of their situation.
The girls in particular were frustrated that there was no education on which attitudes were appropriate and which were inappropriate.
Many teachers said they lacked information about consent, healthy relationships and the exchange of sex images.
Inspectors are now urging schools and colleges to "cultivate a culture" in which all forms of sexual harassment are identified and dealt with.
He also says that outside of the traditional RSHE education, subjects that young people find difficult, including consent and the exchange of nude photos, should be taught.
If you are in the UK and suffer from sexual harassment in educational institutions, you can call 0800136663 from Monday to Friday or 09001800 on Saturday and Sunday. Alternatively, help@nspcc.org.uk can be emailed.