Sexualistation of Young People

For both boys and girls, there are obvious
opportunities for promoting positive
role models in the run up to the 2012
Olympics. The ideal would be to work
with a range of people, from sport,
entertainment and the world of business.
As part of the government’s long-term
communication strategy to tackle violence
against women and girls, I recommend that:
• A schools campaign is developed
which promotes positive role
models for young men and young
women and challenges gender
stereotypes. The campaign should
build on the positive work already
being undertaken in schools by
organisations such as the White
Ribbon Campaign and Womankind.
• Schools encourage girls to value
their bodies in terms of their physical
ability by encouraging them to
engage in athletic and other extracurricular
activities. Schools should
promote this work by linking it
to the 2012 Get Set education
programme (run by the London
Organising Committee for the
Olympic Games). There is a clear link
here to one of the core values of
the Olympic/Paralympic movement
– demonstrating respect for oneself
and others.
vii) Support for children who have been
abused
Evidence indicates that children who
are abused are more likely to display
inappropriate sexualised behaviour.
Currently, too few children are being
treated for the psychosocial consequences
of sexual abuse; it is not until they start to
act inappropriately that their behaviour
is noticed and addressed. Teachers
and other professionals do not always
have the training and skills needed to
identify the early signs of abuse and offer
appropriate support.
During the evidence sessions that
informed this review, professionals working
with abuse victims and teenage sex
offenders pointed out that in many cases
children who experience sexual abuse are
not given access to support services, even
after an assessment. We must provide
psychological support for every child that
has suffered at the hands of an abuser,
not rely on voluntary bodies or wait for
a child to start ‘acting out’. Therefore,
I recommend that:
• Local Authorities must be held
accountable for treating victims of
child sexual abuse and ensure that
specialist services receive adequate
funding for the treatment of children
who have suffered abuse.
• One-to-one confidential help
in school/college from a trained
professional such as a psychologist
should be made available to every
child and young person.
2) Media and
awareness-raising
i) A national campaign to tackle teenage
relationship abuse
The government strategy, Together we can
end violence against women and girls, noted
my recommendation to run a campaign
aimed at challenging the attitudes
and perceptions that lead to violence
within teenage relationships as the first
phase in a broader cross-government
communications strategy/campaign.
I have worked with the Home Office to
inform the development of the Teenage
Relationship Abuse campaign, which
was launched in February 2010. I also
recommend that:
Sexualisation of Young People Review
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