We must stamp out the ‘rape culture’ soaring in our schools
Tapping through the hundreds of anonymous testimonies on the page @everyonesinvited is as gut-wrenching a read as it is sobering. Day-by-day, more and more stories pour into the campaign’s inbox, citing first-hand accounts of sexual harassment and abuse from girls and boys as young as seven.
The harrowing accounts include: underage students being forced to send intimate photos, being sexually assaulted at parties, being publicly and privately groped, being spiked, raped – the distressing list goes on and on.
The viral campaign – which now has over 5,000 testimonies in just under two weeks – was set up by Soma Sara back in June 2020 to expose ‘rape culture’ through “conversation, education and support.” Sara, aged 22, set up the movement after posting her personal experiences of rape culture on Instagram. She did not expect a flurry of messages from people sharing their own stories of sexual harassment and abuse.
“Rape culture” is a term coined by feminists in the U.S back in the 1970’s to describe a culture where social attitudes with a society normalise and trivialise sexual violence. The culture is perpetuated through the existence of misogyny, victim-blaming, slut-shaming, and sexual harassment. Examples of ‘rape culture’ are phrases like ‘boys will be boys’ (trivialising sexual assault) or ‘that short dress was asking for it’ (victim-blaming). Through these attitudes, structures and behaviours, rape culture can thrive.
Due to the tragic disappearance and death of Sarah Everard earlier this month, campaigns like Everyone’s Invited have gained traction and exposure, shining a light on many stories and allegations. Although no names are mentioned in the anonymous testimonies, schools are – and they are some of the most prestigious in the UK: Latymer Upper School, St Paul’s, Eton and Westminster amongst others. Whilst private schools appear most, several universities and state schools are also mentioned. Following the upsurge in the number of posts this past month, some of these schools have had to take action and issue public statements to confront their responsibilities or lack of them.
One of the leading school’s regularly mentioned is Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, London. The list of accusations mentioning the £20,000-a-year co-educational school includes everything from sexual assault to sharing intimate photos. One student claimed that she had been, “coerced into sending multiple nude pictures aged 12. He showed and sent pictures to boys in our year as well as wider circles in London. The slut-shaming that occurred was second to none.” Another testimony claimed that, “boys had albums on their phones of nudes from girls at school. Most, I presume, had been shared without consent. Being shown these albums taught me that my body was worth nothing.” Several testimonies alleged assault during school hours, ranging from “he pulled up my skirt” to he “reached under my shirt.”
Latymer has since condemned the actions described in these accounts, calling them “deeply disturbing”, reporting the allegations of rape and sexual assault to the police. A spokesperson for Eton College has also issued a statement saying it took any claims “extremely seriously” and would investigate thoroughly. St Paul’s has also condemned the actions described and said it has reported Everyone’s Invited’s allegations to its local council’s safeguarding team.
A spokesperson for Eton has also issued a statement saying it “always takes any specific allegations – including about the sending or sharing of explicit images – extremely seriously” and are investigating “thoroughly”. St Paul’s School has also said they “always investigate fully matters of this nature”.
The thousands of testimonies have revealed the worrying level of rape culture that pervades in some well-known educational institutions in the U.K.
But, what can be done to combat it?
“Rape culture exists within wider society; the fact we are surprised it exists in schools is the very reason it continues to exist”, says Natasha Eeles. She is the founder of ‘Bold Voices’, a campaign to tackle gender inequality and violence through education. “Why would schools and universities be exempt from rape culture? No institution is exempt.”
The proof is in the pudding if you look at the scores of testimonies on Everyone’s Invited. A significant number of the stories describe how rape culture is thriving within the four walls of the classroom.
One London school student said there was: “a general culture of sexual harassment and misogynistic bullying which made sexual assault acceptable. The staff and students were all complicit in allowing that environment to fester.” Another student said there was a “pervasive rape culture” at her school that was in immediate need of addressing. It’s frustrating to think it has taken this long for students to open up about their horrific experiences and deplorable that it has taken so long for schools to do something about it.
Both Sara and Eeles believe that to tackle the root-problem of this societal endemic is through a more comprehensive programme of sex education. According to Everyone’s Invited, one way to do this is through a greater emphasis on consent classes. The allegations are awash with victims who say they have only recently realised that their experience was abusive, and in some cases, criminal. One testimony read that he “didn’t know it was rape until recently”. Another blamed herself because she “was drunk”. Another tried to downplay her story because she was sure “other girls had had it worse.” Accounts like these highlight the need for greater awareness of the complexity of consent; it is not as straightforward as holding a workshop on ‘no means no’.
The introduction of the Relationships and Sex Education curriculum (RSE) back in September 2020 was a step in the right direction in addressing this. However, according to Eeles, schools should go further in teaching the wider context of gender inequality: “We very much build on the RSC guidance, but we can’t understand the culture of gender-based violence without contextualising them within wider gender inequality and how this disproportionately impacts women, girls and marginalised genders.”
At Bold Voices, they offer a series of workshops and talks intended for pupils, teachers and parents to address this educational gap. Their main talk is ‘From Misogyny to Gendered Violence’ – a big-picture insight into the interconnectedness of gender relations. Their other popular topic is ‘Harassment, Assault and Rape Culture at University’ – a what-to-expect topic that looks at specific cultures that thrive in University, such as ‘lad culture’. They also offer workshops on ‘Popular Culture and the Media’ – a lecture that dissects the gendered aspects of culture and the media; giving the tools for students to consume it critically.
Through a greater deployment of workshops and talks like that offered at Bold Voice’s, schools have a watershed moment to revolutionise how they tackle rape culture. Yet, a major issue remains; many parents and teachers are reluctant to talk about issues regarding consent, pornography and harassment. Without the co-operation of parents, teachers, boys and girls, the effort to tackle rape culture will only make a dent. “Ask your mother, sisters, female friends and others what their experiences are”, Helen Pike, the master of Magdalen College School in Oxford, said in a virtual assembly this week. “I’ll wager you’ll find it eye-opening, and I am confident you’ll want to be part of the solution.”
Everyone’s Invited appears to be a youth-led version of #MeToo, where students are finding comfort and solidarity in the online space. The campaign’s widespread media coverage has captured the attention of adults, schools, and universities. But awareness is only the first step; we need serious action.
Everyone’s Invited has submitted a list of recommendations for schools to tackle rape culture. These include everything from: the reform of sex education (greater emphasis on consent classes, the discussion of what ‘rape culture’ is and how it thrives, a compulsory sex education lesson weekly) to a zero-tolerance policy (a commitment to tackling behaviours that foster rape culture; outline disciplinary proceedings; appoint trained members of staff as guidance counsellors that students can approach).
The new movement erupting online exposes the failings of school sex education. Still, it should not have taken the death of a woman to start realising that everyone is complicit – unconsciously or consciously – in the rape culture that is rife in certain schools. To disrupt the status quo, we must work bottom-up, not top-down and start where our brains are most malleable, at school.
We must continue to pressure individuals and institutions to foster greater collaboration between teachers, parents and pupils. If we continue to let rape culture go uninterrupted, people will still be humiliated at school, assaulted at parties, harassed in the workplace and stalked in the streets.
Is this the advert we want for a supposedly fair society? Campaigns like Everyone’s Invited showcase the importance of communication, education and support in tackling this culture, but this can only go so far. Campaigns have lit the flame; it’s time for institutions to start a fire.
If you are a survivor of sexual assault, abuse or harassment, here are some resources:
Help for Adult Victims of Child Abuse (HAVOCA)
Information and support for adults affected by childhood abuse
Lifecentre
Support for survivors of sexual abuse and anyone supporing them, including a helpline, text support and email counselling.
The Survivors Trust
Lists local specialist services for survivors of sexual violence, indluing advocates and Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs)
Rape Crisis England & Wales
Support for women and girls affected by rape, sexual abuse or any form of sexual violence.
Mankind
One-to-one counselling, therapeutic groups, and couple counselling to men (age 18+) who have experienced sexual abuse at any time in their lives.