Facebook Live about talking to kids about staying safe from abuse with NSPCC

[RachelMumsnet]

We’re running a facebook live with NSPCC about talking to kids about staying safe from abuse. The NSPCC have developed programme called Speak out. Stay safe delivered in primary schools across the UK. Volunteers visit schools where they run workshops and assemblies to teach children how to stay safe from abuse and what to do if they have any concerns. The NSPCC are also running a campaign called PANTS that teaches parents how to talk to young children about staying safe from sexual abuse in an age appropriate and non-scary way.

Lidl say: "'Last year Lidl UK employees voted to make the NSPCC their new national charity partner for a three year period. During this period, this partnership will aim to raise £3 million to keep 1 million primary school children safe through the NSPCC’s Speak out. Stay safe programme. This vital programme helps to empower a generation of children with the knowledge they need to stay safe. With at least 2 children in the average primary school class having suffered abuse or neglect, it’s vital that the NSPCC has the resources to visit primary schools across the UK to teach children that abuse is never OK."

Join the NSPCC live next week on Thursday 30 August at 12.30pm on Mumsnet Facebook or post up a question on this thread that we will put to the NSPCC during the live stream. We’ll link to the stream next week on this thread.

[shirleybanister]

I saw a baby/toddler, around 18 months old, have her ears pierced today in Claire's, West Quay, Southampton store.
One minute she was sitting on her mum's knee smiling, as a friend distracted her with a fluffy toy, the next minute she was screaming her head off!
What happens if the earring comes out while she is in her cot and she swallows it?
Is this ok or is it a form of child abuse?

[paintedwingsandgiantrings]

Let me ask you this. If you would like toilets to be xx.xy segregated, how would you know that a "man" walking into the ladies who says he is a trans man isn't actually just a pervy man walking in off the street?

But are any men actually bothered by passing transmen in male toilets?

Seeing as transmen don't pose any particular risk as a group they should go where they feel comfortable.

Transwomen however shouldn't be in the women's.

If transwomen think that's unfair, tough. It's not nearly as unfair as women being at risk of assault rape and murder for being female.

[TooMuchPenis]

Let me ask you this. If you would like toilets to be xx.xy segregated, how would you know that a "man" walking into the ladies who says he is a trans man isn't actually just a pervy man walking in off the street?

Well the obvious situation then would be to deny people the right to alter their bodies to look like the opposite sex while continuing to use single-sex facilities. Sort of an opt out system. Women shouldn't be punished for fearing men and if you willing change your appearance to mislead people in to believing you are a man you can't expect to use female-specific facilities. The option isn't "let a potentially dangerous man in" or "let a person who appears to be a potentially dangerous man in ". You can dress how you like but if you cut your breasts off and take male hormones to grow a beard you make a choice.

Either a third option is necessary or you need to put everyone in the men's toilets as women are the at-risk sex.

"women and non women" is fine for me.

[R0wantrees]

Article published today:

'Paedophile who identifies as woman accused of repeatedly molesting young girl
The court heard Carrie Cooper, 52, told the victim it was "their secret" while allegedly subjecting her to regular sexual abuse.'

www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/local-news/littlehey-prison-paedophiles-cambridgeshire-cooper-15108328

[NotAnotherJaffaCake]

I also don't remember the NSPCC making much of a fuss about Saville or ROtherham. Surely they should have been shouting from the rooftops about that?

[R0wantrees]

I wonder if the journalist has read this thread... there are a number of Safeguarding concerns discussed here.

I'm also curious about the insert 'Transgender Issues in Brief' and wonder if it will be updated at any point.

Telegraph recent article following Victoria Atkins MP (Minister for Women) statement:
'Transgender activists accused of attempting to shut down debate'
(extract)
"Transgender activists have been accused of attempting to shut down debate, as a former children’s minister said that young people’s welfare is being “sacrificed on the altar of political correctness”.

The women’s minister is facing a backlash after saying that she is “a little cautious” about the number of teenagers undergoing gender reassignment treatment.

Victoria Atkins warned the country needs to be “particularly alert” to the issue, and expressed concern that a rising number of teenagers were seeking “life-changing” medical interventions.

LGBT+ campaigners accused her making "damaging" comments and warned that people's "lives are at stake". (continues)

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/08/27/transgender-activists-accused-attempting-shut-downdebate/

[ImAIdoot]

@NSPCC: A safeguarding issue has been identified and pointed out to you.

You have actively chosen to ignore it, and as such you are knowingly complicit in any abuse of children that results, as surely as anyone who stands in the dock for it.

Don't trot out "we didn't think there was a safeguarding issue" after the fact and think that absolves you. The issue, the risk has been identified and outlined to you in detail, you are knowingly choosing to not only ignore, but reinforce it.

[IAmLurkacus]

Bit of a lazy article. I hope the times/mail do better. The public really need to be told exactly WHAT questions on safeguarding the NSPCC refused to answer.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

This has hit the Telegraph...

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/09/03/nspcc-mumsnet-row-defending-girl-guides-transgender-policy/

[tiredandweary]

ballseditupagain That's awful.
The school are breaking the law - they must provide single sex toilets for all children over the age of 8.
Give them a copy of this and ask them when they will be complying with the law?

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/719398/Gender-separation-guidance.pdf

It's the last point in the guidance.

[AsAProfessionalFekko]

How can they justify having one single sex toilet (for the boys)? If a girl demanded access to the boys loo because 'I feel like an Eric today' I'm sure she would be told to bugger off.

[ballseditupagain]

My daughter is 10 and in primary school. She hasn't reached puberty yet. The school has turned the girls toilet into a unisex toilet but the boys toilet remains just that. My daughter no longer uses the toilet at school and holds in her urine until she gets home.

[R0wantrees]

Significant background to escalation of online child protection concerns:
BBC article today:
'Sajid Javid threatens tech giants over online child sex abuse'
(extract)
"Referrals of child abuse images to the National Crime Agency (NCA) have surged by 700% in the last five years, according to new figures - and the NCA estimates that about 80,000 people in the UK present some kind of sexual threat to children online."
(continues)
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45389937

[R0wantrees]

October 2016 Feminist Current article by Julian Vigo ( 'scholar, film-maker, and human rights consultant')
'When lobby groups like Mermaids dictate policy and discourse around gender identity, kids lose'

(extract)
"Last week, The Guardian reported that “a seven-year-old boy who was “living life entirely as a girl” has been removed from his mother’s care after a ruling by a high court judge. At first read, it was unclear who the actors in this case were aside from, obviously, the mother (M), the father (F), and child (J). The judgment of this case, which includes a critique of the section 37 report prepared by Social Services, which Justice Hayden describes as “very disturbing reading,” though, begins to clarify things.

Justice Hayden writes that J’s mother caused “significant emotional harm” to her child and critiques the local authority social services staff responsible for the youngster’s welfare.

He goes on to detail the acts of a controlling mother towards her child, M’s personal diagnosis of J’s alleged gender dysphoria, and a system which failed this child. Together, these various failures demonstrate a pattern of abuse and a mother who, Hayden writes, “deprived [her son] of his fundamental right to exercise his autonomy in its most basic way.”

What the judgment shows is that reports made by the Local Authority’s Housing Department, J’s school, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), and Social Services gave M’s behaviour towards her child (including her approach to J’s “gender presentation”) a pass simply because she was receiving support from Mermaids, a UK-based charity that claims to support parents of children who identify as transgender. Observations like these show major conflicts of interest between Mermaids and the government agencies named in the judgement." (continues)

www.feministcurrent.com/2016/10/26/lobby-groups-like-mermaids-dictate-policy-discourse-around-gender-identity-kids-lose/

[AsAProfessionalFekko]

Speaking of charities... has anyone come across Equality Now?

[AsAProfessionalFekko]

I was an awkward little git, so would have definitely said polar bear or dinosaur. What does that say about me then?

I cant believe that only one child didn't choose one of the options given.

(held hand of a mermaid indeed. that man is deluded)

[R0wantrees]

With apolgies for the de-rail but I find the 'Where do the Mermaids Stand' essay by Robert Fulghum cited in the guide as curious. Its from a very popular 1980's book (apparently) 'Lessons I Learned in Kindergarton'

The premis is that a game is set up and children are asked to choose one of three options; wizard, dwarf or giant. One child rejects these & wants to be a mermaid / says they are a mermaid. They are exempt from the game, standing with him instead and the child's comments leads to his 'profound' musings.

However, a different reading of the situation is that this one child either doesn't understand the game or refuses to play by the rules. An adult may, instead of elevating the child to special status and celebrating their assertion, have explained the game again or modified the next round to instead have mermaids, dragons and minotaurs for example.
The other question is, what if more or all children had also chosen to be different mythical / fairy tale creatures than the three he chose? What would the kindergarton teacher then done as the game (which was set-up to engage & manage a large number of children) would have failed in its purpose?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_I_Really_Need_to_Know_I_Learned_in_Kindergarten

Is this essay the basis for naming the UK charity Mermaids?

[CertainHalfDesertedStreets]

Mermaids/Mermen don't have legs do they, so technically...

[AsAProfessionalFekko]

Mermaids/Mermen don't have legs do they, so technically...

[R0wantrees]

(2014?) Mermaids and Action for Children joint portfolio of work, including project for schools, 'Where do the Mermaids Stand?':
www.mermaidsuk.org.uk/assets/media/Mermaid%20Brochure.pdf

www.actionforchildren.org.uk/what-we-do/children-young-people/identity-lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender/

[EmpressOfSpartacus]

Helen Joyce, the Economist finance editor, is tweeting about this. twitter.com/hjjoyceecon/status/1036530318537367553?s=21

[CertainHalfDesertedStreets]

Hah - wrong thread!

[CertainHalfDesertedStreets]

They don't have to be dressed as a woman jess. They don't have to be trans. They just need to say, 'I am a woman' if questioned (no-one is going to question them - only bigots question people's gender identity)

This ideology seeks to dismantle sex segregation - which is there to protect women and girls. Who will take advantage of that? Predatory men. Can people really not see how that is just true?

And 'it has never happened'? A man was sentenced to 22 years in prison this month for raping and torturing a ten year old girl. He liked to wear a dress and nappies and called himself Lucy.

I don't want 'Lucy' anywhere near women and girls. But actually I don't want to get changed in front of even nice guys. My dad, your dad, your dh. I just don't. That's not weird either - most women don't. And that's okay.

[AlmaGeddon]

They do visits to advise DCs in schools on dangers etc
Must say a lot of their income seems to go on salaries if they aren't actually doing the hands on work.
www.nspcc.org.uk/globalassets/documents/annual-reports/annual_report_2016-17 see page 83.