Verbal comments or comments made on social media:
- Sexist name-calling
- Unwanted or inappropriate sexual comments
- Rumours about sexual activity
Physical contact:
- Unwanted touching eg in school, on the bus, walking home, at parties
- Sexual assault
Being pressured:
- Feeling pressured to do sexual things they did not want to do
- Being put under pressure to send sexual images of themselves
Social media incidents:
- Being sent unwanted sexual pictures
- Having pictures or nudes that they sent being shared more widely without their knowledge or consent
- Being photographed or videoed without their knowledge or consent
- Having pictures or videos taken without their consent circulated on social media
What parents/carers can do?
We ask parents/carers to be aware of these issues and encourage your children to talk to you about any worries. We would also encourage them to report to us these concerns too.
My advice to parents and carers is to create the culture before the crisis. Children have told us they want their mums and dads to create a safe, judgment free space for them to talk about these issues. It’s better to do that before you hit a problem rather than trying to create that mood while you’re dealing with one.
