domestic violence

Ending violence against women

10th March, 2009

Jacqui_smith_07052 Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, has launched a consultation to tackle violence against women and girls. There will be roadshows in 40 towns around the country, an online survey and an opportunity to respond to a consultation paper. One of the issues that will be discussed is the increasing sexualisation of teenage girls. She said that while some parents may see high-street chain stores selling Playboy t-shirts for 11-year-old girls as a "bit of fun", many other parents were concerned that their daughters were under pressure to appear sexually available at an increasingly younger age.

An Ipsos Mori poll commissioned to coincide with the launch shows that a clear majority of the public believe that it is never acceptable for a man to hit or slap his wife or girlfriend, and they would do something about it if they suspected that it had happened to a female friend, family member or neighbour.

Panorama on sexual bullying

9th January, 2009

Last Monday's Panorama reported on sexual bullying in schools - defined in the programme as 'anything from sexualised name-calling to spreading rumours about someone's sexual behaviour, to criminal offences such as assault and rape.' A survey for the programme by the charity Young Voice which interviewed 273 young people between the ages of 11 to 19 found, for example, that 28 had been forced to do something sexual that they did not want to do.

You can read about the programme here, where you can also download the results of the survey and watch it again here. I blogged about this issue last month. A column in the Guardian links sexual bullying in schools to a wider cultural sexism.

Teenagers suffering and inflicting abuse

4th December, 2008

Following on from the post earlier today about Girlguiding, a shocking survey from Bliss magazine and Women's Aid says that one in four 16-year-old girls have been hit or hurt by someone they were dating, and nearly a quarter of 14-year-old girls have been forced to have sex or to do something sexual that they didn't want to do, according to a report in the Guardian.

Nicola Harwin from Women's Aid says, 'There's a notion of romantic love, that possession and jealousy are seen as flattering. It's thrilling that someone thinks you're very special and wants to spend time with you, but it can be insidious. You don't know if you're the only person it's happening to or whether it's what relationships are about.' Official figures are non-existent as under-18s are excluded from the government definition of domestic violence.

Girlguiding say stop domestic violence

4th December, 2008

According to a survey of Girl Guides, the most important issue for young women today is stopping domestic violence against women and children. Speaking out against young people and gangs who carry knives came second, followed by standing up against bullying, making sure women have the same career opportunities as men and combating the pressure on young women to have sex before they are ready. Banning models being air-brushed was named by around a quarter, as was fighting for equal pay.