Things We Don’t Talk about: Working with Girls and Young Women on the Issues of Abusive Relationships, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse

Citation

Barnardo’s (2001), "Things We Don’t Talk about: Working with Girls and Young Women on the Issues of Abusive Relationships, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse", Health Education, Vol. 101 No. 4, pp. 187-188. https://doi.org/10.1108/he.2001.101.4.187.1

Barnardo’s is a UK charity, which has a long history of trying to help very vulnerable young people, and this resource pack attempts to tackle one of the most difficult and sensitive issues of all, the sexual exploitation of young women, especially those abused through prostitution. Barnardo’s workers have found that a lack of self‐esteem and confidence can make some young women liable to become entangled in relationships in which they have little control or choice. They have therefore produced this pack, aimed at girls and young women between the ages of ten and 18 to try to help them build the self‐confidence and self‐esteem to resist such pressures. Its intention is to give young girls the opportunity to explore and recognise abusive and controlling relationships, including those with boyfriends, look at their own vulnerability, and practise assertiveness skills. It was produced by those who work with young people and trialled with groups of girls.

The pack is designed to be used in a school context. It is in three main parts, each with a set of activities and accompanying teachers’ notes. Part 1, “Setting the Scene”, looks at risks and vulnerability, mainly through the use of a quiz, which explores how the girls might react to particular situations, then invites them to role‐play alternative and assertive reactions. Part 2, “The Main Issue”, explores teenage prostitution directly – it uses a video and audio tape containing documentary style case studies, based on real life stories, of girls who were persuaded into prostitution by boyfriends. Part 3, “Going Forward with Confidence”, uses an “agony aunt” technique, which invites girls to give advice to girls in trouble.

The teachers’ notes are very helpful. They advise teachers about why and when to include each exercise, give pointers about how to run the exercise and draw it to a close, and provide some valuable anecdotes from classroom experience in running the exercises. The learning outcomes are clearly outlined in each of the three folders. The authors advise that the exercises can be used either in isolation or as a coherent six‐week programme of work, and in a range of situations including whole single sex classes, groups of “at risk” students, at health fairs or in youth clubs. The authors advise that it should not be used in mixed sex classes, as boys need more positive work on their own sexuality and development, and the pack suggests resources for this.

The pack is very useful in taking the lid off what is indeed a taboo area, one that is rarely tackled directly in schools. The materials are bright and colourful, with a “teen magazine” feel: they are: engaging and well produced, and likely to appeal to young people. It is a very valuable resource for experienced PSHE teachers: less experienced teachers would not be advised to use it, as, given the sensitivity and challenging nature of the material, the lessons could easily go very wrong with pupils shocked, confused or frightened. It would also only work in a “switched on” school, with an already existing and effective PSHE curriculum, and supportive, broad minded governors and parents. But, with these caveats, it is a very unusual and welcome addition to the armoury of educational resources that help teachers increase the resilience of young people to fight against the dangers that beset them on all sides.