8. Debate on the Children, Young People and Education Committee’s Report — 'Everybody’s affected: Peer on peer sexual harassment among learners'

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:44 pm on 26 October 2022.

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Photo of Laura Anne Jones Laura Anne Jones Conservative 4:44, 26 October 2022

Yes, absolutely. A very important point made by my colleague there.

What is worrying also is that the numbers that we've seen, and the evidence that we've gathered, are probably underestimating the problem of what we're seeing. Further still, whilst Estyn did not consider sexual harassment in primary schools or colleges, their inquiry convinced them that it's likely that sexual harassment is common in both. Our committee heard the same as well. Learners with additional learning needs are also at risk, and whilst robust data to reinforce the point has not yet been acquired, they have reason to believe that other groups of learners are at risk too.

The causes of peer-on-peer sexual harassment are complicated. They include deep-rooted societal attitudes, amplified by pornography, social media, and in the recent years, the pandemic. They are embedded cultural matters that stretch far beyond the remit of this committee and the scope of this inquiry. It is a society-wide problem. The Welsh Government, the Senedd, local authorities, schools, charities, parents, families, all of us, need to act collectively to de-normalise these harmful behaviours.

I know that the Minister is here today and will respond to the debate, and I want to ask if he will ensure that the awareness campaign by the Welsh Government is created and implemented in our schools as soon as possible. Only through proper education and awareness will young people truly understand the issue, be able to combat it, and also know how to get the help that they need.

We had excellent suggestions from the young people who gave evidence in our committee, and I see the Chair is nodding, that is definitely worth looking at—their ideas for posters and social media and so on. From the evidence given, and from being aware as a parent of a child who has just recently gone out of junior school, it is clear that cases of peer-on-peer sexual harassment are happening in those years 5 and 6 groups as well, as we had evidence in our committee that proved it. I'd be grateful to the Minister if he could ensure that any campaign does extend to those groups in primary schools, of course, with the content age-appropriate, so that we can nip that behaviour in the bud as soon as possible.

Twenty-four recommendations have been made in the report, covering a range of issues, with the hope that the Welsh Government, Estyn, and other bodies involved receive them and proceed constructively. We, the Welsh Conservatives, welcome the recommendations from the committee and fully support the important demands and recommendations being made to the Welsh Government. We believe that sexual harassment in any form is completely unacceptable, and believe it must be an absolute priority of this Welsh Government to ensure that schools in Wales are no longer an environment where young people are made to feel unsafe, and where sexual harassment and sexual violence can flourish. Thank you.