HISTORY CONTENT

Press Release

Irish teenagers have high levels of contact with violence, abuse and harassment according to "Teenage Tolerance", research launched today (February 14th) by Minister of State in the Department of Education and Science, Willie O'Dea TD, in Dublin Castle on behalf of Women's Aid.

95% of young women and 84% of young men reported knowing someone who had experienced abuse, violence and harassment ranging from 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. The research also indicates that young people are not reporting their experiences to parents, teachers or other adults, but instead are just telling their friends.

According to Denise Charlton, Director of Women's Aid:
"The findings of this research are not just alarming, they also indicate how, as a society, we are failing our young people. With limited sex and lifeskills education, and few support systems for young people, we are leaving young people to cope with these issues alone or with each other."

The report also highlights confusion amongst young people about the meaning of rape, violence, and consent. 19% of young women and 34% of young men did not think being forced to have sex is rape.

According to Ms Charlton:
"The lack of understanding demonstrated by young people of what is and is not rape, consent and violence, 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."

The report also 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.

Ms Charlton continued:
" As a culture which resists meaningful sex education for our young people, it is not surprising that young people are exploring other means of acquiring sexual knowledge, and the internet is easily accessible to all. With 1 in 5 young people reporting negative impacts of contact with pornography, it is imperative that we address young people's needs in this area in a safe and positive way, whilst raising awareness amongst those who influence young people of the levels of usage of pornography."

The report also 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 young women also fear sexual assault and being drug raped.

Women's Aid is calling on the Department of Education and Science to implement the recommendations outlined in the research, which includes funding for existing support services to target young people, and a mainstreamed education programme.

A poster campaign entitled "Tell Someone" is being launched today by B*Witched to encourage young people to contact Women's Aid or the Rape Crisis Helplines. The poster will hang in schools and youth clubs.

The research was conducted with over 300 young men and women between the ages of 14 and 19, in four Dublin schools and one senior college. The research was conducted through questionnaires and focus groups.

The research was conducted by Women's Aid and the Child and Women Abuse Studies Unit, London University. Women's Aid is a voluntary organisation which, for over 25 years, has provided services to women and their children who are experiencing violence in the home. Women's Aid has delivered preventative education work in the education and youth sector for the last seven years. This study was funded by the European Commission and the Department of Education and Science.