UK teachers will be trained to tackle misogyny in classrooms under a new strategy aimed at halving violence against women and girls over the next decade, a minister told Parliament on Thursday.
The new strategy would deploy “the full power of the State” to introduce a joined-up approach to tackling violence against women and girls, Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips told MPs.
The £20m scheme comes as the latest statistics show more than 40% of young men have a positive view of so-called manosphere influencer Andrew Tate, according to a government statement citing research by the charity Hope Not Hate.
In the past year alone, one in eight women was a victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking, Phillips said.
“For too long the magnitude of violence against women and girls has been treated as a fact of life in our country,” she added.
Addressing “radicalization”
Under the strategy, all secondary schools in England will have to teach students about healthy relationships.
Teachers will receive specialized training to talk to students about issues such as consent and the dangers of sharing intimate images.
The most worrying attitudes would be addressed early and schools could refer high-risk people for support focused on challenging misogyny.
Phillips said the battle would no longer be left solely to crime-fighting departments to tackle in isolation.
Bringing the fight into classrooms would help “stop violence before it starts,” he said, adding that “the proliferation of content with the potential to poison young minds” has never been greater.
“Our strategy addresses radicalization and confronts worrying behavior long before it escalates into abuse or violence.
“We must empower teachers to challenge harmful attitudes and act before they escalate,” she said.
A new helpline will be launched for pupils concerned about their own behaviour.
Ban on ‘nudification’ tools
The government would also ban so-called “nudification” tools that allow users to remove the clothes of those in photographs.
It will also work with technology companies to make it impossible for children to take, view or share nude images through “nudity detection filters,” Phillips said.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the strategy was to “drive education and conversation with children and young people”.
“I want my daughter to grow up in a Britain where she feels safe at school, online and in relationships,” she told X.
“Every girl deserves it, and every boy must be protected from harmful misogynistic influences. My government is making that happen by supporting teachers,” she added.
The strategy comes after Starmer said earlier this year that Netflix’s scathing drama “Teenager” would be screened in high schools.
The drama about a 13-year-old boy who stabs a girl to death after becoming radicalized on the Internet sparked a wide debate about the toxic and misogynistic influences to which young people are exposed on the Internet.
