All secondary schools in England will have to teach students about healthy relationships to tackle misogyny and ‘stop abuse before it starts’.
Ministers have announced plans to intervene early on worrying behaviour in young people as part of the government’s strategy to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade.
New plans will see teachers given specialist training to talk to pupils about issues such healthy relationships and consent.
Children who show harm towards relatives or in relationships will also be signed up to behaviour change programmes.
And a new helpline will be set up for teens concerned about their own behaviour in relationships.
Prime minister Sir Keir said: ‘Every parent should be able to trust that their daughter is safe at school, online and in her relationships. But too often toxic ideas are taking hold early and going unchallenged.
‘This Government is stepping in sooner – backing teachers, calling out misogyny, and intervening when warning signs appear – to stop harm before it starts.
‘This is about protecting girls and driving forward education and conversation with boys and young men, which is a responsibility we owe to the next generation, and one this Government will deliver.’
Measures already announced as part of the cross-government strategy have also included introducing specialist rape and sexual offences investigators to every police force, better support for survivors in the NHS and a £19 million funding boost for councils to provide safe housing for domestic abuse survivors.
The latest measures for educating children is backed by a £20 million package, with £16 million invested by the Government, which is working with philanthropists on an innovation fund.
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Responding to the announcements made for the strategy so far, domestic abuse commissioner for England and Wales, Dame Nicole Jacobs, said the commitments ‘do not go far enough’ to see the number of people experiencing abuse start to fall.
She added: ‘Today’s strategy rightly recognises the scale of this challenge and the need to address the misogynistic attitudes that underpin it, but the level of investment to achieve this falls seriously short.’
Dame Nicole also said overburdened schools are not being equipped with the infrastructure they need to safeguard child victims of domestic abuse.
Campaigners further pointed out that while the new measures are welcome, they must be part of a long-term commitment.
Andrea Simon, Director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), said: ‘We welcome reports of increased funding and focus on quality relationships and sex education relevant to the digital age, as we know that this education gives young people the tools they need to develop healthy and equal relationships.
‘But we await more detail on what this will look like in practice, given there must be proper resourcing to mean this education reaches every child in every school across the country.
‘Inconsistent delivery of this education across schools has been an issue, and we are concerned that it is not yet mandatory for 16-18 year olds, despite this age group being most likely to experience domestic abuse.
‘Prevention is always better than acting after harm has been done, which is why it must be a long-term commitment and a cornerstone of the government’s plans to halve violence against women.’
White Ribbon UK CEO, Lynne Elliot said: ‘We’re pleased to see the release of the VAWG strategy and welcome its focus on prevention to tackle the root causes of abuse.
‘Investing in prevention is crucial if we are serious about protecting future generations, but this will only succeed with long-term commitment and a whole-society approach.
‘We support the empowerment of teachers and parents, and in our research report, The Case for Investing in Primary Prevention: Ending Men’s Violence Against Women, we say that parents and carers have a key role to play in preventing violence against women and girls.
‘However, we must see this reflected with training provided for all adults.
‘Any adult who acts as a role model for children and young people should have the same understanding of these issues and be giving the same messages.
‘We look forward to reading the full strategy and hearing more about how these aims will be turned into effective action.’
Schools to take part in the teacher training pilot will be chosen next year, while ministers aim for all secondary schools to teach healthy relationship sessions by the end of this Parliament.
It comes as Department for Education-commissioned research found 70% of secondary school teachers surveyed said their school had actively dealt with sexual violence and/or harassment between children.
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: ‘Having spent years working in a refuge for women experiencing domestic abuse, I know just how much early intervention could have changed lives – we cannot simply respond to harm after it happens; we must give young people the understanding and tools they need before attitudes harden into harm.’
Police and social services will also be given new guidance on teenage relationships to tackle abuse, and the legal framework for domestic abuse will be looked at to address experiences of teenagers.
It comes as Sir Keir has vowed to look at whether younger people should have recognition as domestic abuse victims following the murder of 15-year-old Holly Newton by her stalker ex-boyfriend in Hexham, Northumberland, in January 2023.
Violence against women and girls minister Jess Phillips said: ‘For too long the scale of violence against women and girls has been treated as a fact of life in our country.
‘I am determined our groundbreaking strategy will prevent women and girls from actually being harmed in the first place.
‘Put together, from today, it will deploy the full power of the state to introduce the largest crackdown to stop violence perpetrated against women and girls in British history.’
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