'Teenage sexual assault didn't merely exist when I was at school, it thrived'

[Clymene]

This young woman created an Instagram account for teenagers ro share their stories. It's a horrifying account of the impact of pornification on young women. No wonder so many of them want to identify out of it

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/soma-sara-teenage-sexual-abuse-didnt-merely-exist-when-i-was-at-school-it-thrived-f3lbdkq22?shareToken=3c8b3786fd211c1b7780b83d25cb979a

Thanks so much for sharing this. This part particularly struck me:

"She doesn’t want to foster a cancel culture. “I want to create something positive. I don’t want to single out a single individual or institution. Me Too singled out people like Harvey Weinstein, but that risks blaming it on a few high-powered men or industries. Everyone is complicit and we should all take responsibility. It’s insane to pretend it isn’t everywhere. Children can see it, adult women being shamed the whole time in public. If I called people out as a child I was called a feminazi and gaslighted and berated for being dull and intense. I remember a boy telling me women have more rights than men. There is this predominant belief that because we live in a western culture we must be progressive but we aren’t.”"

Thanks for sharing. It is horrific how our culture treats women and girls and I am glad that there are brave women out there documenting this and raising awareness.
I have been trying to raise awareness and have conversations at work about VAWG as part of IWD events this week but wish I could do more.

Do you remember the threads on FWR about sexual assault and rape in UK schools? They were harrowing. And the TES reports about the little 5 year-old who was victim-blamed for her assault by the playground adults and told to stop teasing the boys?

It's a particularly alarming article but not surprising. I don't think men and boys have got worse due to porn. In my experience, they have always been that way. At school in the late 70s it was a daily occurrence. Bra straps twanged, boobs & bum groped, skirts pulled up to see if you were having a period. Creepy men following you on the way to the games field, flashers, buswankers, men trying to persuade you into their cars. Over friendly Uncles and your parents friends who are ' just teasing.' Frotters on trains, the lewd comments from workmen..... and all before you are old enough to leave school.

The horrific problem young girls face now is that their humiliation can be documented and posted for all to see. They have no escape.

Are any of you with teen girls aware of any school lessons that focus on body confidence, asserting boundaries, mental resilience and self defence? I'm asking as I don't have children so don't know what the curriculum is in schools anymore. And do boys get socialised about consent etc? If not, why not? This culture of misogyny has taken an even darker turn with the complications of the internet. It's difficult to not feel a bit Valerie Solanas!