In research conducted by the World Health Organisation, published this week, it was revealed that domestic violence often starts early, with 24 per cent of teenagers aged 15 to 19 experiencing intimate partner violence. That’s almost a quarter of girls falling victim to abuse before they even turn 20.
This study, which also found that one in four women across the world have experienced domestic violence by a male partner, highlights that more needs to be done to educate boys from an early age about physical and sexual intimate partner violence in order to prevent violence against women in juvenile and adult life.
‘The high number of young women experiencing intimate partner violence is alarming,’ said a lead author of the study, Lynnmarie Sardinha. ‘Adolescence and early adulthood are important life stages when the foundations for healthy relationships are built.'
Another author of the study, Dr Claudia Garcia-Moreno, said the progress made to meet the international target to eliminate violence against women by 2030 was ‘grossly insufficient’. Meanwhile, head of policy and campaigns at the End Violence Against Women Coalition, Rebecca Hitchen, said the findings were ‘appalling but unsurprising’.
‘The new findings highlight the urgent need for work to prevent abuse of women and girls, including the prioritisation and proper funding of work in schools and public campaigns to shift the attitudes and inequalities that drive abuse,’ she said.
Currently, education to prevent intimate partner violence and abuse isn’t guaranteed in UK schools and is down to the discretion of the institution. When citizenship lessons about drugs, alcohol and STDs are on the agenda for most children, it’s questionable why intimate partner violence isn’t a topic on this list. Consent is a good place to start, but when there are so many nuances surrounding the topic of violence against women, more needs to be done to change the narrative early on.
When rape culture in educational institutions became headline news last March after students began reporting instances of sexual violence on the website Everyone’s Invited, many schools agreed to ‘look into’ new initiatives. But these often included self-defence classes for girls – once again putting the onus on young women to protect themselves.
As the alarming new statistics from the World Health Organisation were published, the police were busy celebrating the first domestic abuse conviction as a result of new ‘SmartWater’ technology. A woman’s ex-partner had returned to her house and she was able to spray him with this forensic liquid that shows up under ultraviolet light, to help the police identity and jail him for breaching his non-molestation order.
But rather than arming women with special sprays and teaching girls how to kick and punch an attacker, wouldn’t it be more beneficial to teach boys from an early age that stalking, harassing and being violent towards women, simply isn’t condoned?
UN Women has even designed a curriculum — called Voices Against Violence — to help young people aged 5-25 understand the root causes of violence in their communities and prevent violence against women and girls. So why aren’t we using it?
Early education about respectful relationships, consent, coercive control, and intimate partner violence are vital in making a tangible step towards eradicating violence against women. It's essential schools are given the funding and government support to prevent abuse starting in adolescence and continuing for years to come.
READ MORE: So How Do We Stop Violence Against Women?
READ MORE: If You're ‘Shocked’ By School Sexual Abuse Allegations Then You Haven't Been Paying Attention