Preventing Digital and Sexual Violence

Digital and sexual violence is a massive global issue. Teachers need support in order to gain the confidence in addressing these issues and lead discussions on these topics to prevent future violence. Life Lessons has worked in partnership with UCL and Anglia Ruskin University to develop a set of evidence based materials for schools that empower educators to counter digital and sexual violence. 

In November 2024 Life Lessons hosted a webinar on Empowering Educators to Eliminate Digital and Sexual Violence. Our speakers discussed the current issue of digital and sexual violence in our society and how best to support educators to have these conversations with their students. 

We also launched our brand new Violence Prevention course, developed with UCL and Anglia Ruskin University. This course includes a set of evidenced based materials for schools that empower educators to counter digital and sexual violence.

What is Digital and Sexual Violence?

Digital violence is a very broad term which encompasses any form of violence perpetrated using digital technologies, including: 

Cyber bullying
Trolling 
Cyber stalking
Non-consensual sharing of private images

Sexual violence is any sexual act or attempt to obtain a sexual act by violence, coercion, threat or intimidation, or taking advantage of the inability of the victim to give free consent. 

When violence is perpetrated or facilitated through digital technologies, it’s known as Digital Sexual Violence and includes: 

Online sexual harassment
Sextortion
Cyber bullying with a sexual nature

Statistics Around Digital and Sexual Violence

When we talk about digital and sexual violence is it vital to understand the state of the nation when it comes to this violence in our society and around the world.

Digital and sexual violence has become normalised, with Ofsted’s 2021 report finding that 80% of pupils have seen unwanted comments of a sexual nature. We also see that women and girls experience higher levels of digital and sexual violence than their male counterparts. 

Ofcom’s Online Safety Report 2023 found that 53% of girls and young women aged 11-21 reported encountering sexist comments or jokes online and 57% of young women aged 17-21 know a girl their age who has experienced sexual harassment online.

Not only has digital and sexual violence become normalised, but it is also a massive societal problem. NSPCC reports that violence against women and girls accounted for 20% of all reported crime in England/Wales from 2022-23. Women and girls across the world are experiencing digital and sexual violence with 1 girl being raped every 6 minutes in Brazil. 

Clearly something needs to be done to prevent future violence occurring.

How Education can Help Prevent Digital and Sexual Violence 

Educators are uniquely placed to empower both students and staff to report instances of sexual violence and harassment, and to continuously work toward fostering a healthy school environment where such behaviours are challenged and not normalised. 

On the topic on digital and sexual violence, Stephen Morgan, the minister for early education said: 

“…There’s probably more we can do around misogyny in schools, and I’m keen to talk to school leaders about what that might look like.”

“The escalatory nature of misogyny means that education plays a crucial role in challenging these attitudes early on. Through relationships, sex, and health education (RSHE), we are equipping young people with the knowledge and skills to recognise and reject harmful content, build empathy, and promote respect for all.”

The 2024 Ofsted Handbook also states that “Inspectors will expect schools to have effective behaviour policies in place regarding harmful sexual behaviour. The policies should include details of appropriate sanctions that should be applied consistently and that reflect and are consistent with the messages that are taught across the curriculum.” 

However; we frequently hear from educators that they lack confidence in addressing these issues and leading discussions on these topics. This is what inspired us to create our Violence Prevention Course.

Life Lessons Violence Prevention Course and Resources

This course has been developed in partnership with UCL and Anglia Ruskin University to develop a set of evidence based materials for schools that empower educators to counter digital and sexual violence.

These materials are based on the latest research into digital harms and image-based sexual violence and aims to support educators to tackle this type of inappropriate behaviour.

The course includes:

CPD for educators and include a certification

5 units which cover:

Introduction to sexual violence prevention
Understanding sexual violence
Educating about gender and sexual violence
Tech facilitated gender based violence
Dealing with disclosures and instances of sexual violence

We have also included a free lesson and videos for secondary educators:

A 1 hour lesson for use with year 10 secondary students. Copy and edit to suit the needs of your classroom.
A collection of short Life Lessons videos addressing the topics of sexual and digital violence. These videos feature boys discussing the issue, demonstrating openness, and modeling how to engage in meaningful conversations to be part of the solution.

This course is free for educators. Access it here: Violence Prevention – Life Lessons

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