It seems that teachers and parents are more worried about the sexual harassment of teens than the teenagers themselves. They are right to be worried as I will try to explain in this article.
The sad fact, revealed in an Ofsted report in the UK shows that the whole sexual harassment scenario is such a normal part of kids’ daily existence and routine that they just shrug their shoulders. It is so “normal” that they are surprised that educators, and parents are even talking about it!
It all started with Everyone’s Invited which asked teens to post examples of sexual harassment on the site. The site has almost 6,000 anonymous testimonies. No surprise to learn that girls are reporting a much higher percentage of incidents involving sexist name calling, unwanted physical touching and also rumors about their sexual activity. Not to mention receiving unwanted photos on their devices.
Why we must keep this on the front page.
Teens may play down these facts but the encouragement of rape culture is alarming and must be highlighted. It seems that many fee-paying and state schools which have been mentioned are actively trying to play down the drama and that is harmful in the long run. If they are guilty of that, then they can hardly call themselves educational institutions.
A famous school in Ireland did not report to the child protection services an incident when a student inappropriately touched another student. The accused student said it was merely a prank.
Th fact that there is so much pornography widely available only encourages harmful behavior and unhealthy attitudes to sex and relationships. This breeding ground for rape culture must be challenged.
Toxic rape culture is rampant
Why are boys and men allowed to even assume that violence, misogyny and the degradation of women is the norm? These attitudes are rooted deeply in our culture but it is in the family and at school where these ideas are allowed to foster and fester. This is the recipe for extreme MGTOW (Men Go Their Own Way) groups to develop where women are to be avoided altogether.
The recent lockdown has increased the number of times girls receive unwanted photos of men’s genitalia. One survey found that about 30% of girls in a University of Leicester study were subjected to this form of sexual harassment which is now called “cyberflashing.”
Sex education and gender equality
It is certainly useful if we can mention sex eduication alongside healthy relationships with the opposite sex. But the whole question of consent is a vital area at all ages.
Another crucial issue is the monitoring of social media to stop and ban violent misogynists who are still freely spouting hate and violence.
As Vice President Kamala Harris has remarked at a recent UN Women’s Conference:-
“The status of democracy depends fundamentally on the empowerment of women.”
This is especially important in the digital world in which we operate.
The most recent report from the USA shows that 3 out of every 4 women have been subjected to some form of sexual harassment as evidenced in this report here. It is also alarming to note that women will change routine and even jobs to avoid future harassment and this is downright unfair.
Much work remains to be done.
The work of She Decides and the me too movements have been crucial in raising awareness among the general public. But there is also the alarming trend of women remaining silent which only increases the risks and violence as it is swept under the carpet. Many women are no doubt influenced by the fact that any reporting or court case will lead to even more stress and unwanted publicity.
Watch the video by the me too movement which shows how deep rooted rape culture is and how difficult is the journey ahead.
I wrote this article which was first published on Medium on July 23 2021