Over my past few articles, we have looked at the shocking prevalence of violence and abuse within adolescent relationships, with both young men and women made victims.
The statistics are alarming, but also provide a wake-up call for educators and, indeed, parents. While domestic abuse is never acceptable, the fact that it is taking place so regularly within our school population is real cause for concern, and indicates a considerable and growing problem for the future.
It is time to bring this into the classroom – the curriculum – and teach young people what a healthy relationship entails, what constitutes an unhealthy one, and the meaning of respect. As a starting point, get the class involved in a discussion and note down their ideas on how they deserve to be treated in a relationship, the features of a great one: feeling safe, trust, ability to disagree, encouraging and supporting.
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