Rape in private school - 170 testimonies

[OhHolyJesus]

I don't even have words for this.

Rape normal at private school, says dossier of 170 testimonies

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/c000d75a-8c16-11eb-a1a3-928d43a3bbc1?shareToken=a81fa5fea8898f75dced6354b15fd919

Just in defense of state schools, they are ineffective for a number of reasons.
Firstly, teaching staff have zero power to tackle it. The way most school behaviour systems are structured the teacher is far more likely to receive a sanction than the child in question because they ''let it happen'. Reported instances have to usually involve more than one occasion of physical abuse for exclusion and even then it tends to be internal anyway.
Schools in general have very little power and most senior leadership are happy to avoid the issue so they don't have to deal with tricky parents, leaving the rest of the staff very little tools in the way of tackling it.
For things to change parents on the whole need to accept sanctions but the current culture is to go marching up the school to defend their children, even when they are in the wrong.

I assume you're all going to hold this report to the standards you do when trans kids self-report abuse.

I've just read this article and came here to see if anyone had posted about it. Shocking that so many felt rape was normalised or no action taken.

I was at a mixed private boarding school (albeit as a day pupil) in the late 90s-00s and am not aware of anything like this happening, but I'm not sure how the school would have dealt with it if it had - a lot of "don't ask, don't tell," I suspect.

What we don't know is whether or not thus is more prevalent in private schools, or if it is broadly similar across all schools, or if indeed it's worse in state schools.

I think we would be deluding ourselves if we thought it was a uniquely private school issue. And if that angle shapes the response, then that's a lot of girls in a lot of schools who will not be heard

"I was at a mixed private boarding school (albeit as a day pupil) in the late 90s-00s and am not aware of anything like this happening"

That's because most teens fall into the normal range of behaviour. Even in the private schools currently in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Looking at why some teens are well socialised might be one way of tackling the poor socialisation of others?

[quote missproportionate]I was wondering about Uk Feminista resources - anyone seen them?

ukfeminista.org.uk/[/quote]
Interesting - this looks to offer teacher training courses on sexism, but I don’t know what the take-up is like. They also do home-learning materials for secondary-school-age students. But I think it would be really useful to provide packs for schools on How To Tackle Rape Culture, and to provide actual sessions for students as well. We’ve seen how successful Stonewall and other organisations have been at doing this for trans rights - surely the model could be applied to doing this more broadly for girls’ rights?

I think it has got much worse since I was at school. Yes there was bullying etc, but not with this sexual and misogynistic element.

I had to complain to the school about boys commenting and rating the girls breasts, when DD was in yr 7. This is at a state comp, I've given up complaining, these type of things keep on happening, but DD was getting stressed about me being " that parent". Quite a few male teachers have very outdated views, and boys get away with a lot. Some of the girls even defend the boys and the school tells them things like don't wear short skirts because it's distracting for male teachers and boys.
I went to a girls state school and it horrifies me that girls have to put up with this shit at school, where they should be safe. There are no single sex schools where we live otherwise DD would be at one.

I don't think its just private schools for one second. However I think for some private schools its an unintended consqequence of entitled privileged males used to getting their own way - look at the Bullingdon club types. Some alpha male entitlement. It may need a culture change and a different way of tackling to an underfunded state school where the need is more teachers.

On one thread a parentfrom the school àdmitted the boys were ferral on transport and in school and what did you expect...

@Catabogus

Not just packs, sorry - what about resources and lesson plans? Or visits to schools for special sessions? There must be something that can be done to try to change this.

All resources seem to be focussed on the comfort of other groups...

@Shizuku don’t derail

We aren’t talking about ‘misgendering’ here

That's a real lot good idea @ChattyLion I will do that.

*really good idea

I will email Robert Halfon and my MP.

I'm sure there was a anti-bullying survey done in recent years that showed that girls and children with learning difficulties/disabilities were the most likely to be bullied.

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."

Thanks Chatty useful to have all that for my letter.

On another note I think I've quite had it arguing the toss on social media for this week and will use my time more effectively and 'radically'.

Much better.

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

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?

'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.

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

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?

Today's Times:

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

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

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.

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

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.