Open letter call for comprehensive RSE
Dear Minister Weir
We are writing to you to call for the urgent introduction of compulsory, comprehensive and standardised relationships and sexuality education (RSE) in schools throughout Northern Ireland (NI).
In recent weeks the media has reflected a range of views regarding the provision of comprehensive and inclusive sex and relationships education in NI schools. We welcome the input of expert panels for both the Gender Equality Strategy and the LGBTQI+ Strategy, calling for significant improvements in how this subject is approached.
In addition, on 23rd March, the Assembly voted for a private member's motion that included a Violence Against Women & Girls Strategy, recognition of misogyny as a category of hate crime, and comprehensive, standardised RSE.
During the debate, representatives from all parties spoke powerfully about the urgent need to address these problems in our society, and recognised that education is a vital part of this work. Therefore we urge you, as Education Minister, to act now.
Your Department’s current approach requires schools to develop their own RSE policy and deliver according to their own ethos; whilst we appreciate the encompassing sensitivities, the human cost of the resulting insufficient education on this vital topic is a massive public and mental health issue. As Education Minister it is vital that you act as you would if we were consistently evidenced as failing children in mathematics or English language. You and the Assembly at large have both a moral and legal duty to meet this need for our young people, as per the Executive Formation etc NI Act 2019 which enshrined into law the obligation to fulfill the 2018 CEDAW recommendation for age-appropriate, comprehensive and scientifically accurate education on sexual and reproductive health and rights.
As well as your legal duty, research by Belfast Youth Forum with QUB’s Centre for Children’s Rights and Common Youth shows that young people believe that the sex education they received was not good enough, with 60% saying that they found the information they received “not very useful” or “not useful at all”. The vast majority of students knew they had a right to RSE in school , but felt that this right was not being met. The top priority that students identified was learning about how to navigate personal relationships (66%) with many stating that they want to learn about a range of issues as diverse as menstruation, domestic abuse and consent in a way that is inclusive of everyone. We are aware also that the Youth Forum presented this evidence to your colleagues in the Education Committee in January.
Further, Judge John Gillen also recommended comprehensive RSE as part of the Gillen Review into the law and procedures in serious sexual offences, recognising the role that this plays in prevention of such crimes as well as in achieving justice in any trials that take place, and has recently repeated calls for progress to be made on this front. The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has also called for progress on this in light of a report published on 31st March 2021, citing the “direct impact on the overall health of women” and adding “Children and young people need to be given the knowledge and skills they need to manage their sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing across the life course. This must begin with high quality relationships and sex education in schools”.
As reports in NI of domestic abuse incidents, domestic homicide, sexual assault and rape have increased over the past decade, while rates of prosecution and conviction fall, it is time for a sincere re-evaluation of how to address these problems. While our Assembly initiates debates on Violence Against Women and Girls, pragmatic work can be done in classrooms across NI, to ensure that young people embark on healthy and safe adult relationships. Equipping young people with a robust understanding of consent and the tools they need to forge healthy relationships, romantic and otherwise, has been shown to challenge the attitudes and beliefs which can lead to abusive behaviour. This starts with your role as Minister, and requires introducing standardised and compulsory RSE in schools that is inclusive, evidence-based and for everybody.
Kind regards,
Raise Your Voice
Raise Your Voice is tackling sexual harassment and sexual violence across Northern Ireland. Our goal is to create true cultural change in order to tackle the root causes of these behaviours and empower people to act to change this in their own lives. By working in the community, increasing public awareness, educating organisations on best practice and lobbying for legislative advances in this area we hope for a future without sexual harassment, abuse and violence.
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