More funding and training needed to combat gender violence

NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union is today demanding funding and implementation of training programmes to allow school and college staff to teach and promote approaches to tackle the issues of sexual harassment and violence against women and girls.

The Union is calling for the Active Bystander Approach to be implemented across schools and colleges in Northern Ireland. Schools and colleges should be places of safety and must be supported in tackling the problem of sexual harassment or violence towards students or staff, the NASUWT Northern Ireland Annual Conference will hear.

A motion to be debated at the conference in Belfast will condemn the “alarming rates of violence against women and girls (VAWG) across these islands, and the detrimental impact of VAWG on the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of individuals, leading to long-lasting consequences”.

The ‘Active Bystander Approach’ is a vital strategy that empowers individuals to actively intervene in situations where they witness or suspect potential harm, thus creating a collective responsibility to prevent and address violence.