Rape Culture in Schools and Tackling Sexual Violence Amongst Young People with Sophie Whitehead
In this episode, Hannah is joined by Sophie Whitehead, who is a writer, researcher, and sex educator currently working on her PhD at King’s College London about the nature of teen ‘rape culture’ in the online era. Sophie speaks all about what rape culture in schools actually looks like and how teachers can counteract this by embedding principles of consent and empathy in all aspects of school. Hannah and Sophie discuss the delicate nuance of addressing instances of sexual violence in school in a way that takes care of the survivor, but also works towards educating and reintegrating the perpetrator. Finally, they also talk about how to avoid the trap of alienating LGBTQ+ students and reinforcing gender stereotypes when discussing sexual assault in sex ed, what Sophie thinks about single versus mixed sex education, and why assemblies are a terrible way to address sexual violence or any matters of sex ed!
CW: rape culture and sexual violence
Read the episode transcript here!
QUESTIONS FROM INSTAGRAM
How do you define rape, as it means different things to different people?
How to handle discussion with someone who doesn't believe rape culture exists?
What more can be done in primary schools around this work?
USEFUL LINKS
*affiliate links
MORE ABOUT SOPHIE WHITEHEAD
Sophie is a writer, researcher, and sex educator. She's currently halfway through her PhD at King's College London, where she's researching the nature of teen 'rape culture' in the online era.
CONNECT WITH US
*affiliate links