new technology and abuse in young peoples relationships: findings from a uk expert consultation...
TRANSCRIPT
New technology and abuse in young people’s relationships: Findings from
a UK expert consultationMarsha Wood, Nadia
Aghtaie and Christine Barter
University of Bristol
Cath Larkins and Nicky Stanley
University of Central Lancashire
www.stiritup.eu
Focus1. Policy Overview2. Challenges 3. Conceptual tensions4. Ways Forward
Participants• Voluntary Sector = 8• Academics = 2• Government = 3
• Young People = 3 Groups, (20 members)
Activities• Policy Overview• Vignette• Small group discussion
• How do you talk about teenage intimate relationship abuse on a website and in questionnaires?
Policy Overview• IPV in YP relationships is recognised by:
Home Office - Domestic Violence Policy and campaigns - March 2013- definition widened to include 16 to 17 yrs. e.g. http://thisisabuse.direct.gov.uk/
Education - PSHE - Expect Respect Toolkit (Home Office and Women’s Aid) DV and Children’s NGOs (e.g Women’s Aid, The Hideout, Respect, AVA, ChildLine, Brook)
• But not by: Government child protection guidance in England and Wales - ‘Working
Together’ (Revised March 2013) reference removed Government Education Policy - PSHE – Not statutory, no mention of IPV in
young people’s relationships in Ofsted Guidance, no mention of young people’s relationships in bullying policy
Anti-bullying NGOs (eg Anti-Bullying Alliance, Beatbullying, Kidscape) - not mentioned on websites
Policy Overview
• But not by: Home Office DV policy – only small mention Safeguarding policy –mentions bullying and cyberbullying but no link to partner
violence Anti bullying & CyberBullying policies - mentions online-safety but no
connection to IPV. Internet safety centres – Some mention sexting & grooming, but not use of
New Technologies as partner violence.
• IPV, YP and New Technologies is recognised by Home Office Guidance (March 2013) Information for LAs on the change to the Definition of DV
and Abuse produced with charity AVA (and on http://thisisabuse.direct.gov.uk/) Other websites - Nottinghamshire domestic violence forum; That’s Not Cool Some projects within NGOs and research - e.g. Women’s Aid film ‘Can you see me’, CAVA, PEACH.
‘There is a lack of guidance in this field’‘the teacher has to make the leap. …as they do not
see IPV as a safeguarding issue.’
Reluctance to enter arena of sexual harm – not mentioned on websites:
‘Sometimes this is due to funding concerns’
2. Challenges
Lack of guidance, fear of consequences
As less PSHE is delivered, teachers are less equipped to have the necessary conversations - they do not have practice / background knowledge.
‘ ‘for every incident like the vignette, there are 30 girls who know about it, who are talking about it and who are being put under pressure to behave
in the same way’, There needs to be a response at the level of the class. ‘The girl may be being called a slut in class and the boys are all saying to other
girls ‘She did it, why don’t you?’.’
2. Challenges
• ‘Schools have taken on the bullying aspect but they have completely separated it off from sexual violence … to [not]address the …sexual …and …gendered nature of it.’
• Media polarisation and exaggeration: either ‘lock them up’ or ‘they’re just kids’ and ‘this is common’
2. Challenges
Definitions and shared understandings
This is not abuse! This could happen in my life!
3. Conceptual Tensions
SpaceConsentLegalityGenderRoles and lead agencies
3. Conceptual TensionsSpace•Adults distinguish between world of intimate relationships and online world – for young people, they are not segregated.
•Young people are (generally) more competent in online environments than adults (eg most teachers).
•Digital images can more easily move from private to public online spaces.
•Practitioners wary about intruding into area of intimate relationships –private territory but, for young people, privacy rules are shifting.
What happens on your phone is more private than what happens face to face!
On/offline
Adult/Child
Public/ Private
3. Conceptual Tensions
Consent• ‘[young people] have an idea that the age of
consent is 16, but not what consent really means. ... There may well be genuine surprise that some of this is illegal.’
• ‘they don’t realise that …being in a relationship does not mean that you consent. We should be talking about more enthusiastic consent!’
• ‘Yes she has given consent to the act, but not for the distribution of images.’
Law/Practice
No/ Not this
3. Conceptual Tensions
LegalityYoung people don’t understand what the law is with regard to posting sexually explicit images on line• ‘It is the distribution that is illegal…’• ’I have had the police say to parents, ‘the first thing
that his defence lawyer will say is OK, the girl has to be prosecuted herself as she sent this image to the boy’.’
• ‘you don’t always want to see this first as a illegal activity …You want a police officer …very well trained, who can go in and talk to the girl.
Legal/ illegal
Victim/perpetrator
Criminalise/Safeguard
3. Conceptual Tensions
Gender
•The victim is seen as the problem•The gender aspect of this issue is conveyed in everyday speach
•’They are constantly bombarded with images and objectification of women, so need to think about how to challenge that effectively and how to engage with this generation, and engage with young men as allies as well.’
Reason/ Response
Structured Masculinity
and Resistance
3. Conceptual Tensions
Roles
‘Everyone presumes someone else will deal with the situation – there’s no ownership’Young people’s privacy and how they want to deal with it have to be respected (age?)Needs response across school, family, community, society.Teacher-child perhaps not the best dynamic for addressing issue
Adult ownership/
child led
Supporting victims/
informing families
4. Ways forward• More voluntary organisations are developing
policy, guidance and resources:• More training is being developed and could be
delivered more widely, eg Ofsted and governors• Coordinated multi agency responses• Peer led and Bystander approaches
• Build on examples of good practice where found.
www.stiritup.eu