The Government has today refused to commit to a new strategy in schools on issues of sexual harassment and gender-based violence that is specifically aimed at engaging boys and young men, despite calls in a recent report from MPs on the Women and Equalities Committee.
The cross-party group of MPs’ inquiry on attitudes towards women and girls in educational settings found that existing relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) in schools is less engaging and applicable to boys than girls, despite boys and men being most responsible for harm and abuse.
The Government’s response, published today, fails to engage with recommendations by the Committee regarding its ongoing review of the statutory guidance on RSHE, emphasising that it is still “underway” and will be followed by a “full public consultation”. However, there is no clear indication of what to expect in the updated guidance for schools, including no Government commitment to content on tackling violence against women and girls.
In its report, published in July, the Committee called on the Government to commit to a number of improvements to RSHE including additional resources for schools and mandatory RSHE in post-16 education, a recommendation which is now under Government consideration.
