Rape in private school - 170 testimonies

News on iTV tonight showed girls taking action with placards left on school gates etc. I would like to know whether there will be a demand for single sex schools, in which we know girls flourish. And if there will be changes.

Ed O'Brien from Radiohead

Glad to see this.

Today's Times (they've had quite a series) - Dulwich College

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/dulwich-college-reports-its-boys-accused-of-sex-crimes-to-police-5vg2tn5sq?shareToken=33caf2141a2ac0b1330e7828f89f40b1

And if we accept that poor treatment of girls and women and by boys is a problem in wider society, why is it that some schools are safe for girls and others are not? I can’t believe it’s because certain schools have nice boys and others don’t. The answer is that some schools tolerate this behaviour, to the extent that some appear to positively encourage it.
The particular school featured on Newsnight seems to be doing well from a PR point of view. It will be interesting to see what happens from this point.
I wonder if any legal action can be brought by parents for what appears to be a complete failure to carry out its duty of care.

I agree the problem is far wider than just schools, it’s cultural. Parents have a huge responsibility to bring up their sons to be respectful of women.
But the specific issue here is rape culture within schools (or in your other example, within the police). That is the responsibility of those institutions and for them to deal with. How can schools have been so neglectful of their duty of care to girls? Children not taught the basic rules of consent, girls not being listened to, boys not held to account, teachers not taking any action/turning a blind eye to horrific behaviour - the school is responsible for all of this.

Sorry if this has been posted but part of what encouraged the young people to protest is this web site www.everyonesinvited.uk/

And of course it isn't just private schools.

And a head teacher wrote this "I know violence against women starts in the playground" www.independent.co.uk/voices/violence-women-school-playground-b1821595.html

But what I dont understand is how this has some how become an issue schools should deal with - a bit like every talking about the police are responsible for ending male violence against women.

What we have to talk about is that the young boys and men in schools, and the men attacking women are part of a culture that embeds this idea of women as objects for sexual gratification and violence. ie rape culture.

How has it becomes schools to hold back this tide? What is going on in families that their boys are going off to school thinking it is okay to denigrate girls. And no doubt social media and ready access to pornography is playing a part.

But the problem is society does not make men question their attitudes and behaviour. Or only in a jokey fashion.

If we were reading about this in a history book it would be under the heading of a barbaric period, and yet we all assume we are sophisticated and advanced in our thinking.

I'm just watching this on Newsnight and am astonished and saddened for these victims.

This is being discussed on Newsnight now.

I was born in the midcentury. As a teenager 16, 17 I spent a lot of time with undergraduates at an elite university. I was sometimes drunk at parties though not with spirits. I was innocent ( literally). Sometimes I even slept cuddled in bed with young men in my group of friends. I shudder to think of this now but not one ever touched me sexually. There were no rape jokes etc. The group I was in was popular. The restraint was not due to people being especially serious - on the contrary parties were wild and fun and non-stop.

There was patriarchy in those days, and a patronising attitude to girls in some ways. I am not telling of this to say these were the good old days. Of course there must have been date rapes then too, and marriage was considered to confer permanent consent to sex.

But what has happened to make the present horror evident in the testimonies about these schools?

On a separate point, earlier this week “24 Hours in Police Custody” there was a case where two young girls had been raped by the same man following initially having been in contact with him on Facebook then meeting up with him. They had also sent him nude photos. What was shocking was that it became clear that the CPS might not prosecute because of the photos. Luckily, because the girls had such similar, but entirely independent, stories, and because one had happened to tell him she was 15 he was charged and found guilty of rape.

The testimonies related to DC frequently mentioned the pressure the girls were under to send nude photos. Are girls being educated to know not only about the danger of revenge porn and blackmail, but also that, effectively, in practice, should the boy they sent it to rape them at a later point, they would be deemed by CPS to have given consent?

I had actually heard about the rape culture a few years ago at two of the schools being widely mentioned in the press. It seems the staff were probably aware of it but kept quiet because of fear of reputational damage.

However, I'm pleased these girls are now speaking up. I went to an all girls private school in the 90s and recall this sort of thing happened but nobody wanted to talk about it so it got over looked. I think there have always been issues but social media and sharing images, revenge porn has exacerbated it.

Yes, well done to those girls for taking a stand. I’m surprised we haven’t heard more about it given how shocking the allegations are, but it is good it’s in the National papers.

It’s great those girls are making a public stand, not just for their school. Because it’s a high profile school it keeps this on the media agenda.

Gosh those poor girls. And the school was obvipusly trying to brush under the carpet 😔

Whatever happened with the enquiry in to lad (rape) culture at universities that was initiated some years ago? Universities get the blame but its obvious that it began by being tolerated in schools. I wonder if there was ever a report published or if it got mothballed like most things planned to make life better for women and girls.

Well done those brave girls, making a stand today by walking out.

Today's Times:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/top-private-schools-female-pupils-walk-out-in-protest-at-abuse-culture-dcfztn7s0?shareToken=4ac53ffa8e86ea86e374419c38593f31

Maria Miller supported compulsory PSE to tackle male violence against girls - even WEP spoke out in favour - then suddenly the whole subject was dropped

This is shocking - it’s as if the consultation and response is already “doing enough” and there’s no need for any actual action. Do we know why it was dropped?

Newsweek article which talks about Laura Bates and her observations during school workshops.

www.newsweek.com/misogyny-manosphere-spreading-playgrounds-terror-threat-1555462?fbclid=IwAR09fcgNm1u1XobzIxIOfpYaNySa7uXzzuwlIp_yO8MupTZ19eh-nO2zx-U

'The school “silenced” women who came forward, according to one pupil'

Women? Eh?

Yes this goes on all over but over 170 testimonies in one school (not sure what time period) suggests they have an ingrained and massive problem.

It is really depressing - especially as a lot of the events mentioned happened at school whereas most of the other issues have been parties attended by boys at all boys schools.

I will get flamed for this but I was watching the news this evening and there was a report on patient transfers between hospitals during the last CV19 wave and both doctors featured were of non white ethnicity and both explained what happened and the thinking behind it without the hectoring tone I've come to expect from BBC reports from the NHS. I then realised that most of the aggressive "we know better than you/are going to tell you what to do" reports in recent weeks have been white male consultants. Related?

I'm not confident that this new consultation will achieve any more than the last one from 2016;

Sexual harassment and sexual violence in schools inquiry - Report and Government response
old.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/women-and-equalities-committee/inquiries/parliament-2015/inquiry1/

''The report made 14 recommendations in relation to a wide range of areas including Personal Social Health and Economic education (PSHE) and Sex and Relationships Education (SRE), cross-Government strategy, whole school approaches to tackling sexual harassment and sexual violence, teacher training and the monitoring and recording of incidents. There were specific recommendations for Ofsted around inspection and the training of inspectors.''
publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmwomeq/826/82602.htm

Maria Miller supported compulsory PSE to tackle male violence against girls - even WEP spoke out in favour - then suddenly the whole subject was dropped.

Maria Miller MP: Children's desire for Sex and Relationship Education is a 'cry for help'
''In the Women and Equalities Select Committee Report on Sexual Harassment in Schools we concluded that compulsory SRE would help children deal with and challenge the tide of abuse at school that young girls now see as part of their daily life. Increased abuse which could well be the online world seeping into the offline world too.''
www.politicshome.com/news/uk/education/schools/opinion/house-commons/82603/maria-miller-mp-childrens-desire-sex-and

Excellent that you’re writing OhHolyJesus

Also in relation to the government’s need for further action around this (I’m not saying government is the only place of action, but could make an essential contribution..) this is good news:

committees.parliament.uk/committee/328/women-and-equalities-committee/news/152900/committee-looks-at-cultures-underpinning-male-violence/

Women and Equalities Committee will be looking at ‘government action to change cultures underpinning male violence’. It’s a short press release but worth a read and includes

‘The Committee will look at:

What the Government is doing to measure progress on changing attitudes and cultures that underpin or normalise male violence?

Why are public prevention campaigns, including This Is Abuse/Disrespect Nobody, so invisible compared with public health and road safety campaigns?

How is the Government taking action following its own research on engaging men and boys in gender equality and the relationship between pornography use and harmful sexual behaviours?’

The Chair Caroline Nokes MP is quoted saying

"In the first instance, we will be holding a session to hear from experts about how to change cultures and attitudes that underpin male violence, and the Committee will then consider which particular issues to explore in more detail."