TEENAGE TOLERANCE: The Hidden Lives of Young Irish People

The Research

Women's Aid conducted the Teenage Tolerance research in the form of questionnaires and focus group discussions with 302 young Irish men and women in four Dublin schools and one senior college. The findings were analysed by the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit in the University of London.

The findings of the research confirmed Women's Aid's belief that violence, abuse and harassment were already a part of our young people's lives.

The Findings

Young People's Experiences of Abuse

  • 95% of young women and 84% of young men reported knowing someone who had experienced abuse, violence and harassment ranging from being followed, to being forced to have sex, to being hit by a partner. The persons known were mainly young women.
  • 1 in 4 young women knew someone who was forced to have sex, with over 76% of those known being friends.

Confusion and Lack of Support

The research also indicated that young people are not reporting their experiences to parents, teachers or other adults, but instead are telling their friends and peers. It highlights confusion amongst young people about the meaning of rape, violence, and consent which raises serious concerns for these young people, from difficulty in naming their own experience, to ambivalence in relation to others' experiences and to difficulties when making judgements.

  • A staggering 19% of young women and 34% of young men did not think being forced to have sex is rape

Pornography

The report indicated that there is a high level of exposure to pornography, particularly amongst young men. Of the 94% of young men, who had contact with pornography, 3 out of 4 accessed pornography on the Internet, mainly on home computers or friends' computers. Young people tended to see pornography as 'a bit of craic' or as a way of learning about sex and enhancing their sexual performance. Women's Aid believe that we need to provide meaningful sex, relationship and lifeskills education to young people as well as to talk to our young people about the dangers of pornography in order to stem this alarming trend.

Double Standards

The report indicates that while both young men and women are sexually active, a double standard still exists in relation to sexual activity, with reputation clearly affecting young women in a negative way, whilst young men's reputation is enhanced amongst their peers by sexual activity. Both young men and young women fear physical attack in public places such as the street, nightclubs and bars, however it is overwhelmingly young women who also fear sexual assault and being drug raped.

If you would like to purchase Teenage Tolerance please send £5.00 + £1.50 P/P to Women's Aid, PO Box 791, Dublin 1.

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