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Schools out for domestic abuse
31/01/2001
The campaign to prevent violence against women entered the classroom today.
An educational prevention programme called Respect, created by the Zero Tolerance Trust, will be piloted over eight weeks in four schools in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Youth groups in the two cities will also be involved.
Respect encourages boys and girls to develop healthy relationships based on equality, and challenges the toleration of violence against women. It includes:
- primary and secondary curriculum material
- support material for teachers and youth workers
- an interactive website and CD-Rom
- a publicity campaign involving school posters and bus side advertising
Social Justice Minister Jackie Baillie launched the initiative at Broughton High School in Edinburgh, and Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs, Jack McConnell, was at St Pauls High School in Pollok, Glasgow.
Ms Baillie said:
"We must ensure that we challenge attitudes forming in the next generation to prevent violence against women. A Zero Tolerance study showed just how shocking some of these views are.
"One in two boys and 1 in 3 girls thought there were some circumstances when it was okay to hit a woman or force her to have sex. And a significant minority of boys - 36 per cent - thought they might use violence in future relationships.
"Young people should grow up to expect equality in relationships and regard abuse as unacceptable. We will learn lessons from this approach to prevention and, if successful, roll the programme out to schools across Scotland."
Mr McConnell said:
"Violence is never acceptable - whether it is in the classroom or in the home.
"All children need to understand that there is no excuse for domestic abuse and it is particularly important that this message is understood by young boys. We need to teach children how important it is to build healthy relationships based on mutual respect and I applaud this project for their approach to that goal."
Margaret Petrie of Zero Tolerance said:
"The Zero Tolerance Charitable Trust welcomes the Scottish Executive funding of the Respect Initiative and their commitment to supporting our approach - trying to prevent violence before it happens."
The schools involved in the pilot are: Primary 6 and 7 pupils at Abbeyhill Primary School, Edinburgh and St Bernard's Primary School, Glasgow; S3 pupils at Broughton High School, Edinburgh, and S3 and S4 pupils at St Paul's High School, Glasgow. The youth groups are: in Edinburgh - Pilton Youth and Children's Project, Edinburgh City Youth Caf?; in Glasgow - St Bride's Asian Boys Group, Shawlands Girls Group, and City Centre Services.
BACKGROUND
1. Teachers, youth workers and young people were involved in developing resources for the Respect initiative. Respect is being evaluated by Reid-Howie Associates, a research consultancy, and their report will be completed by end July. The pilot is being managed by a Steering Group with representatives from Learning and Teaching Scotland, Association of Directors of Education Scotland, the Education Departments of both Glasgow and Edinburgh City Council, and Scottish Executive officials from HMI, Education Department, Crime Prevention Unit and Central Research Unit.
2. The Zero Tolerance Charitable Trust promotes a primary prevention approach to violence against women and children, working in partnership with a range of agencies to tackle the root causes and develop innovative policy and practice. The Trust has produced over 100 public education campaigns for use throughout the UK and elsewhere. Contact - Margaret Petrie on 0131 221 9505, out of hours 0780 313 4043.
3. In 1998, Zero Tolerance published the results of a study into young people's attitudes to violence, sex and relationships. The study involved over 2000 young people aged between 14-21 years in Glasgow, Fife and Manchester. As well as the figures quoted above, it found that:
forced sex was more acceptable than hitting to both boys and girls, and;
over half of the young people interviewed knew someone who had been hit by a male partner and exactly half knew someone who had been sexually abused.
4. Scottish Executive action on domestic abuse includes:
- A three year advertising campaign to raise awareness and change attitudes - the most recent phase of TV adverts began on 26 December 2000.
- Setting up a national freephone domestic abuse helpline, sponsored by Thus plc. The helpline number features in the adverts.
- A national strategy to address domestic abuse and an ?18.3m funding package to provide protection, prevention and provision for victims.
News Release: SE0183/2001
31 Jan 2001