Communications Manager Paul Huxley comments on the rise of sexual harassment in schools and the link to the rise in porn.
It’s becoming a weekly occurrence – more revelations about inappropriate sexual behaviours in school.
Last week it was Ofsted’s turn, releasing a report with stark revelations of the extent of the problem.
The report detailed the views of around 900 children and young people, asking them about different forms of inappropriate behaviour.
The headline findings are worth quoting in full. Girls report facing the following levels of inappropriate behaviour:
Non-contact forms, but face-to-face:
- sexist name-calling (92%)
- rumours about their sexual activity (81%)
- unwanted or inappropriate comments of a sexual nature (80%)
Non-contact forms, online or on social media:
- being sent pictures or videos they did not want to see (88%)
- being put under pressure to provide sexual images of themselves (80%)
- having pictures or videos that they sent being shared more widely without their knowledge or consent (73%)
- being photographed or videoed without their knowledge or consent (59%)
- having pictures or videos of themselves that they did not know about being circulated (51%)
Contact forms:
- sexual assault of any kind (79%)
- feeling pressured to do sexual things that they did not want to (68%)
- unwanted touching (64%)
Boys were much less likely to think that any one of these behaviours were going on. This may point to some boys being unaware of their own behaviour, but could also point to a smaller number of boys being the source of the problem.
Teenage years are full of hormonal changes as boys and girls go through puberty. It’s unrealistic to think, in a broken and sinful world that there will be no cases of inappropriate behaviour.
But that is no excuse for inaction. Christians should be particularly determined to create an environment in schools where girls do not face sexual harassment or abuse.
Ofsted’s Chief Inspector has now said that boys sending unwanted nudes to girls is not a safeguarding issue for schools, characterising this behaviour as “clumsy explorations of emerging adolescent sexuality” and saying that girls would not want to have to go through safeguarding procedures.
This is a cop out and contradicts the advice given to schools on best practice. Documents like Keeping Children Safe in Education are clear that these sorts of incidents are safeguarding issues that should be taken seriously, not explained away as ‘clumsy’.
These images are not just clumsy – they are illegal, even though they are normally taken by the boy himself. To effectively make them a non-issue, and to expect girls to put up with such behaviour, is a failure of the duty of care.
Who will be held accountable?
The dominant approach to sex and relationships in schools takes the approach that teenagers having sex is inevitable and that the job of sex education is to make sure that it is consensual and safe.
Use contraceptives to stop pregnancy or infections. Make sure you’re not doing anything illegal and make sure everyone’s consenting and having fun.
While each of these outcomes is better than the alternative, we have to ask ourselves if this approach is creating an environment where sexual activity between secondary school students is normalised, even expected behaviour.
The earlier you bring up these issues, the more likely that some of the students being taught are not emotionally equipped to handle the subject. Children will inevitably think that they are missing out by not being sexually active – either by choice or because they haven’t found a willing partner.
Sexual activity of any kind is emotionally powerful. On a physical level it affects our hormones. It also creates and normally strengthens emotional bonds between people. It can’t be treated like any other activity or hobby people may choose to do together.
The role of porn
Normalising sex amongst teens is like handing them power tools. Sure, some might be more equipped for particular situations but a good number will be irresponsible, harming themselves and others.
But as wrongheaded as some RSE approaches are, they are a cordless screwdriver compared to the circular saw of pornography. Except porn is a circular saw with no safety features and no legitimate purpose, only doing harm.
A new report from Ofcom has said that half of all UK adults watch porn online. A glowing BBC article highlighted the report, quoting a 22-year-old who sells pornographic content on OnlyFans:
“The sheer amount of people that watch some type of pornographic content, whether it’s Pornhub, OnlyFans or even Twitter is absolutely incredible … It’s become more accepted within the younger generations to do OnlyFans … so I think lockdown has been really good for the porn industry.”
Both Pornhub and OnlyFans have faced severe criticism recently for failing to tackle illegal or highly immoral content on their platforms. Underage pornography, stolen content from people who didn’t consent, violence, sexism – the list goes on.
But the most basic question remains unaddressed – when will they stop allowing under-18s to trawl through their sites?
Online pornography is readily available to anyone with a phone or computer who can click a button saying they’re over 18 years old. Sites have no proper checks in place and hardcore porn is never more than 10 seconds away from a curious teenager or child.
The Government has failed to act
The government has promised action in this area – even passing a law – but failed to follow through. The technology is there, but there is a failure of willpower to implement it
Some campaigners like to suggest that age verification is a terrible breach of privacy for the porn-watcher. This is hard to believe if porn is so normalised that half of adults watch it. But even if so, it is clear that the government prioritises porn freedoms over the safety of children and teens – at home and at school.
This must change.
The Campaign to End All Sexual Exploitation (CEASE) recently launched legal action against the Information Commissioner’s Office for failing to protect children adequately – a campaign worth supporting.
But MPs need to hear their constituents on this. The porn industry cannot continue to get special treatment, as if unfettered access to pornography is a human right or necessary for human flourishing. Unless politicians are willing to tackle underage porn access, none of them should be allowed to pontificate on why girls, in particular, are facing sexual harassment in schools.
Porn damages its ‘performers’, its watchers and is fuelling harmful sexual behaviours in schools. A truly compassionate society would take severe measures to stop all this abuse. Proper age-verification is the least we can do to tackle this epidemic.
Write to your MP, asking them to support age verification for porn.
If you are involved in education, please look at our excellent online teachers and educators conference with Canon J John, from 29 October to 30 October. Book your place today!
