.png)
_edited.jpg)
In an anonymous online survey I conducted on over 1,300 16-20 year old girls across the U.K, over 80% of them had been a victim of some form of sexual assault. Over 61% of these young girls, had experienced some form of assault during their school years. These shocking, yet relatively unsurprising set of statistics, formulate two key questions.
Why are the statistics so high in schools?
What needs to be done to prevent these incidents from happening?
Before I begin thoroughly investigating this issue and what needs to change, here are some harrowing yet truthful answers to the questions posed.
What would you consider to be sexual assault?
Any inappropriate touching without consent
An act that has taken place without consent
Any sexual contact that is non-consensual
What do you think can be done to raise awareness of sexual assault?
Educating men
Educate people on the mental impact sexual assault can have, both in the long term and short term
Increased media attention
‘Girls are passive towards sexual assault as they accept it’- do you agree with this statement? Please explain your answer.
I disagree, sometimes girls appear passive because they are afraid of telling someone or they don’t want to relive the trauma
Not at all- it’s something women have had to deal with, they get told to change their behaviour when education towards men on the matter is little to none
Yes, it’s been normalised within our society. The phrase “boys just being boys” is used as an acceptable excuse way too much
Girls are just too scared to say the truth out of fear of judgement and the feeling of embarrassment
It is evidentially clear from these few answers that the issue itself is largely the fault of society and the taught societal norms. It is, however, extremely important to recognise that not all men take advantage of women and men are also victims and survivors of unwanted sexual attention.
Sexual assault is overall defined as “unwanted sexual activity, with perpetrators using force, making threats or taking advantage of victims not able to give consent”, according to the American Psychological Association. Whilst this is the standard definition, the survey brought to light people’s personal definitions. Majority of the answers given were of an extremely similar nature, including ‘anything that is sexual and unwanted’ as well as ‘anything that happens after someone says no’ and ‘the continuation of unwanted vulgar comments’. Despite both the personal and standard definitions being of a similar nature, the one thing that strikes up in every one of them is the idea of lack of consent.
Having gone to an all girls school, the education we received surrounding consent was largely geared towards us learning to say no, in comparison to learning what no actually means. The education I received surrounding consent, led me to believe that in a mixed school or boys school, consent lessons would be geared towards teaching the importance of the word no. This anonymous study however, showed that in many U.K schools consent is often treated as a taboo subject, particularly in mixed schools. Many individuals stated how, in their schools, consent wasn’t being taught, and how this was one of the main issues as to why sexual assaults are allowed to occur. One person said ‘educate boys on the meaning of no', with another individual saying ‘the sex-ed curriculum needs to change and fast. The lack of education surrounding assault and consent is what’s causing so many girls to be too scared to speak up’.
Arguably, the lack of education from a young age regarding the subject matter could be what is fuelling the increasing number of sexual attacks against individuals. With children attending school from the age of four in the U.K, it becomes the key place of learning and development. It is the setting in which children are taught right and wrong, and so a lack of education surrounding sexual assault and consent doesn’t allow for the issue to be solidified into an individual, and therefore makes the topic a taboo subject. High school students in the U.K spend an average of 714 hours in school per year. Whilst primary school is the place for initial development, high school often sees students settle into their innate selves, with their knowledge of right and wrong having already been developed.
With this in mind, the lack of attention given to this issue during a pupils older years, again show that the fault in the education system could be a major contributing factor to the increasing number of sexual attacks. This is because students are not being taught the meaning of no in a sexual context. They are not being taught that pressurising someone into conducting a sexual act or receiving something unwanted in a sexual nature is sexual assault. They are also not being taught the damaging implications of the reality of sexual assault. For society to be able to progress positively, and for there to be a decrease in sexual assaults, the school curriculum must be altered in some way. Whether it’s ensuring that for at least one term a year, there are classes surrounding the consent, or that there are support networks that can be set up for sexual assault survivors, the school curriculum needs to reform to help lower the frightening statistics.
Another solution that could help raise awareness to the issue is increased media attention, to both investigating the truth of assault as well as informing individuals of the penalties in place to help combat assault. With sexual assault awareness month being in April, you mainly see and read stories of that nature during this single month. Arguably however, despite it raising awareness of the issue, many of the stories are published to increase readership, as well as ensuring that the news organisation is kept relevant. Due to the media being a constant mass source of information for most people, the lack of stories across the year that investigate the truth behind sexual assault almost diminishes the severity of it. It almost presents sexual assault to only be relevant during the month of April. By alerting people to both the penalties (which need to be made stricter also) as well as how sexual assault experiences genuinely does damage people, the media could play a massive role in helping to also decrease these numbers.
Damaging societal norms in my opinion however, is what has caused so many individuals to not speak out about their experiences, as well as creating a perceived passivity amongst women and young girls. In 2021, Rape Crisis England and Wales recorded that five out of six women who are raped do not report the event, alongside four out of five men who avoid doing the same. Over 40% of them found the incident to be embarrassing, with a further 38% saying that it would be humiliating to report it. Society has arguably taught women to become passive and suffer in silence, with the infamous “boys will be boys” statement being too easily used as an excuse. When I posed the statement ‘Girls are passive towards sexual assault as they accept it’ to the 1311 girls who took part in the survey, majority of them disagreed with the statement, yet recognised that society has taught them to be silenced. In other words, whilst they want to do something about it and express their opinions on the issue, they are subject to lack of societal interest on the matter, and therefore are unable to talk about it on a large platform where change can be forced. One girl said “many women I know including myself actively try to stop it progressing, but when you’re the weaker individual you end up giving up the fight”.
Whilst many women “discuss sexual assault with anger and disgust”, it is often only to close friends or loved ones, as many “accept it as life” and “don’t want to cause a scene out of fear”.
In recent years however, through the development and increased usage of social media platforms, the online community has served as a positive and safe place for women to express their experiences whilst acquiring support in the process. The MeToo movement, initially created by Tarana Burke, has successfully created an online platform, largely on Twitter, for sexual assault survivors to display their reality. This has resulted in a support community being built, as well as allowing women from all over the world to unite and raise awareness on this issue.
Whilst it should be recognised that there is definitely an increased knowledge on sexual assault, there is not enough being done, regarding raising awareness of the after effects as well as educating pupils on the topic of consent. Additionally, societal norms have largely contributed to the rise in perceived passivity of girls. Not facing the topic of sexual assault without the damaging phrases such as “boys will be boys”, it almost teaches girls, particularly those of a younger and more impressionable age, that acts of assault should just be tolerated. This shouldn’t be the case.
Whilst “boys will be boys”, girls should not have to walk out in fear of getting attacked and assaulted in some way. Women are not objects and should not be treated as such, and so society must learn to teach the reality of sexual assault, whilst also ensuring that there is adequate support for girls who may have experienced any form of assault.
If you require support due to any of the issues raised in this piece, here are some people who may be able to help:
Your local doctor
Rape Crisis helpline: 08088029999
Women’s Aid
NHS 111
Contraceptive Clinic
Comments