Schools to teach about rape in move to cut violent crime

12 April 2012

Pupils are to be given lessons about rape and the law of consent as part of a new campaign to reduce violent crime in London.

Under the plans schools will be asked to spell out to children that it is a crime to have sex without a girl's agreement. Pupils will also be told that it is unlawful to take advantage of a woman who is drunk and warned about excessive alcohol consumption leading to rape.

The reform is one of a number of measures that will be implemented by the new London Crime Reduction Board announced today by Mayor Boris Johnson and Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson.

It follows concern that the 37 per cent increase in the number of rapes reported in London over the past 12 months is being driven partly by a high volume of "acquaintance attacks" in which one partner has failed to obtain proper consent. Similar concerns were highlighted in a recent Government-commissioned review, which found that most victims know their attacker.

Deputy mayor Kit Malthouse, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority, said the aim of the educational programme launched by the LRCB would be to take preventative action which would help police by reducing the number of future rape offences and other sex attacks. He added: "Sexual violence and rape in particular is an area where the police need help. There are serious issues about what consent means for young people and the role of alcohol in the rise of rape in London. That can only be solved by educating young people properly."

A report by the London Serious Youth Violence Board this year expressed further concerns about the attitudes of some young people towards rape. It warned that girls as young as 10 were being "pressured" into sex by gang leaders then passed to younger members for them to exploit. It added that some young women regarded such abusive treatment as "normal" and that many such rapes were going unreported.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in