Schools are crucial to combat violence against women, say charities

According to a report by the End Violence Against Women Coalition, the government’s current strategy is "ad-hoc" and does too little to raise public awareness of the issue or educate young people.

The group of charities is calling on government to amend the Education Bill passing through parliament to place a duty on schools and academies to collect data on violence against young women and girls, including sexual harassment and bullying.

They also want ministers to require primary and secondary schools to develop and implement a "whole school approach" to stopping violence against women and girls and to make sure that anti-bullying policies include an explicit reference to preventing sexual harassment and bullying.

Marai Larasi, co-chair of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said up to three million women experience some form of abuse every year in Britain. She added that a poll for the organisation last year found that one in three girls has experienced unwanted sexual touching in UK schools.

"It is clear the issue is alive in school environments," she said. "Schools must tackle attitudes that normalise violence and abuse by exploring gender stereotypes, respect, equality and consent with young people."

Drama group Tender has worked in more than 100 London schools since 2003. It brings actors, filmmakers and designers into schools to help young people put on their own drama performances that raise issues around domestic and sexual violence.

Susie McDonald, director of Tender, said one of the best ways to enable young people to challenge negative views about girls is through drama and the arts.

"We create a platform for young people to tell their communities how violence against women and girls is affecting their lives, and we help them to become ambassadors of violence prevention," she said.

David Boyle, principal at Dunraven School in south London, where Tender has been running a drama programme, said schools must challenge attitudes that accept, condone or ignore violence against women and girls.

"Young people are bombarded with information and imagery about what it means to be a man and to be a woman, which pressures some of them to behave in a certain negative way," he explained.