Comments from safeguarding minister come as violence against women and girls strategy due to launch
Schools have warned of growing misogyny from pupils towards teachers and a lack of avenues to seek help about concerns over sexually aggressive behaviour, the safeguarding minister, Jess Phillips, has said.
Phillips’ comments came as the government was due to launch its long-awaited violence against women and girls strategy. Children as young as 11 who demonstrate misogynistic behaviour will be taught the difference between pornography and real relationships, as part of a multimillion-pound investment to tackle misogyny in England’s schools.
“I go into schools all the time, and what teachers have been saying to me for a number of years … is that they are seeing growing concerns around … the access to the pornography that their pupils see, and some of the attitudes that come from what they are seeing, misogynistic attitudes displayed towards teachers,” Phillips told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“I have seen so many cases that have led to total tragedy in the sharing of intimate images, for example, and parents desperate for resources. But it isn’t just teachers who would be able to ask for this help, but parents would be able to ask for their children to have interventions as well, and most importantly, children themselves who are worried about their behaviours.”
