British teachers will be trained to tackle misogyny in the classroom under a new strategy aimed at halving violence against women and girls over the next decade, a minister told parliament on Thursday.
The new strategy will use the “full power of the state” to introduce a joint approach to tackling violence against women and girls, Minister Jess Phillips told MPs.
The £20m plan comes as the latest statistics showed over 40% of young men had a positive view of so-called manosphere influencer Andrew Tate, a government statement said, citing research by NGO Hope Not Hate.
In the past year alone, one in eight women was a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, Phillips said.
“For too long the scale of violence against women and girls has been treated as fact in our country,” she added.
Combating ‘radicalisation’
Under the strategy, all secondary schools in England must teach students about healthy relationships.
Teachers will receive specialist training in talking to pupils about issues such as consent and the dangers of sharing intimate images.
The most worrying attitudes would be addressed early on, with schools able to send high-risk people to support focused on challenging misogyny.
Phillips said the battle would no longer be left to crime-fighting departments alone to tackle in isolation.
Taking the fight into classrooms would help “stop the violence before it starts,” she said, adding that the “proliferation of content with the potential to poison young minds” had never been greater.
“Our strategy tackles radicalization and confronts behavior long before it develops into abuse or violence.
“We need to empower teachers to challenge harmful attitudes and act before they escalate,” she said.
A new helpline will be launched aimed at pupils who are concerned about their own behaviour.
Ban on ‘nudification’ tools
The government will also ban so-called “nudification” tools that allow users to remove clothing from those in photographs.
It will also work with technology companies to make it impossible for children to take, view or share nude photos through “nudity detection filters”, Phillips said.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the strategy was about “promoting education and conversation with boys and young men”.
“I want my daughter to grow up in a Britain where she feels safe at school, online and in relationships,” he said on X.
“Every young girl deserves it and every young boy should be protected from harmful misogynistic influences. My government is making it happen by supporting teachers,” he added.
The strategy comes after Starmer said earlier this year that the fiery Netflix drama “Adolescence” would be shown in high schools.
The drama of a 13-year-old boy who stabs a girl to death after being radicalized on the internet sparked a widespread debate about the toxic and misogynistic influences young boys are exposed to online.
