Key Points
- All secondary schools in England will teach students about healthy relationships and consent
- Teachers will get specialist training to tackle misogyny and support high-risk students
LONDON: UK teachers will be trained to tackle misogyny in the classroom under a new strategy aimed at halving violence against women and girls over the next decade, the government said Thursday.
The new strategy would “deploy the full power of the state to introduce the largest crackdown to stop violence perpetrated against women and girls in British history”, said Jess Phillips, minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, who is due to unveil details of the new approach in parliament later.
The £20 million plan comes as latest statistics showed over 40 percent of young men held a positive view of so-called manosphere influencer Andrew Tate, a government statement said, according to AFP.
And over the last year alone, one in every eight women was a victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking.
“For too long the scale of violence against women and girls has been treated as a fact of life in our country,” said Phillips.
Under the strategy, all secondary schools in England will have to teach students about healthy relationships.
Teachers will receive specialist training to talk to pupils about issues such as consent and the dangers of sharing intimate images.
“Tackling the most worrying attitudes as early as possible, schools will also send high-risk individuals to get the extra care and support they need, focused on challenging deep-rooted misogynist influences,” the statement added.
A new helpline would also be launched, targeted at pupils concerned about their own behaviour.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the strategy was about “driving forward education and conversation with boys and young men”.
“I want my daughter to grow up in a Britain where she feels safe in school, online, and in relationships,” he said on X.
“Every young girl deserves that, and every young boy should be protected from harmful misogynistic influences. My government is making that happen, by backing teachers,” he added.
